Salad-E Shirazi

Ingredients

• 14⅛ ozcucumberideally small Persian cucumbers, very finely diced
• 3tomatovery finely diced
• 1onionsmall, very finely diced
• 1 tbspMintcrumbled between the fingers; fresh chopped mint as an alternative
• 2⅔ tbspverjuicesour unripe grape juice as dressing; lemon or lime juice as a substitute
• lemon juiceinstead of verjuice or additionally to taste; lime juice also works
• ½ tspsaltadjust to taste
• ½ tspblack pepperfreshly ground, to taste
• 2 tbspolive oilonly in some sources; classically without oil (optional)
• 1 ozparsleyfinely chopped, for freshness (optional)
• 1limesqueezed fresh over the salad at the end (optional)

Method

1. Wash the cucumbers and tomatoes and pat them dry, then peel the red onion. Small Persian cucumbers work best here.
2. With a sharp knife, cut the cucumbers, tomatoes and onion into very small, even dice. The finer the dice, the better the juices and seasoning cling to the vegetables.
3. Tip the diced vegetables into a bowl and toss them together gently. If you like, fold in some finely chopped parsley at this point.
4. Pour the verjuice over the vegetables and stir it through. If you have no verjuice, use lemon or lime juice instead. If you want to add olive oil, this is the moment, though the classic version is made without oil.
5. Crumble the dried mint between your fingers over the bowl so it releases its scent. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix everything thoroughly.
6. Taste, and add a little more salt, pepper or a splash of lemon juice if needed. The salad should taste distinctly fresh and sour.
7. Serve straight away, or cover and chill in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes to let the flavours settle. If you like, squeeze a fresh lime over the top just before serving.

Tips and variations

Choose your sour element according to what you have: verjuice (ab ghooreh) is usual, while lemon or lime juice makes a good alternative. Fresh chopped mint can stand in for dried, and other fresh herbs such as parsley or coriander leaves suit it well. Another version dresses the salad with pomegranate molasses, swaps the onion for radishes and spring onions, and uses deseeded cucumber and tomatoes. Some cooks add a little olive oil. It can be served straight away or chilled for 30 to 60 minutes first.