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Ezme Recipe (Turkish Acili Ezme)

Turkish ezme salad on a white ceramic plate with a fork inside it. A bunch of parsley and a slice of lemon on the side.
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4.7 from 6 reviews

Ezme is a tasty Turkish dip made from fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers, and parsley. It's mixed with a tangy dressing that gives it a spicy kick. You can serve it with kebabs, bread, or grilled meats. It's simple to make and full of bright, fresh flavors. Whether you chop by hand or use a food processor, you're sure to love this easy and delicious dip!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 medium sized tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 Turkish green peppers or a small green bell pepper
  • 1 red chili pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 and ½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon pepper paste 
  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt 
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon sumac
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint

Instructions

Easy Food Processor Method

  1. Prepare the vegetables: Chop tomatoes and the onion, green pepper and chili pepper in chunks. Grate 2 cloves of garlic. Chop the parsley roughly. 
  2. Blend everything: Put the prepared vegetables in a food processor. Add tomato paste, pepper paste, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, sumac, dried mint over the vegetables. Run the food processor for about 15 seconds or until everything is chopped finely but still chunky. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.
  3. Serve: Transfer the ezme dip on a plate, drizzle extra olive oil over it and serve. 

Traditional Method

  1. Chop the vegetables: On a cutting board, chop tomatoes, onion, garlic, green peppers, and parsley very finely. Keep them all on the board and continue chopping them altogether. This helps the flavors combine well. Transfer the mixture into a bowl.
  2. Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, tomato paste, and pepper paste until smooth. Add in salt, red pepper flakes (pul biber or Aleppo pepper), sumac, and dried mint.
  3. Mix everything: Pour the dressing into the bowl with the mashed vegetables and give it a good stir.
  4. Serve: Drizzle extra olive oil and pomegranate molasses over the ezme when serving, if desired.

Notes

For A Thicker Consistency: 

  1. Chop in a Food Processor: Begin by preparing your vegetables as usual - chopping into chunks. Then, place them into a food processor. Pulse until they are finely chopped but still a bit chunky.
  2. Strain the Vegetables: After processing, transfer the chopped vegetables to a fine-mesh strainer. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow excess liquid to drain off. This will result in a thicker, less watery base for your ezme.
  3. Prepare the Dressing: While the vegetables are straining, you can prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, mix together lemon juice, tomato paste, pepper paste, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and your spices (such as salt, red pepper flakes, sumac, and dried mint). Whisk until everything is well combined.
  4. Assemble the Ezme: Once the vegetables have drained, transfer them into the bowl with the dressing. Stir well to ensure all the vegetables are coated with the dressing.

Pro Tips: 

  1. Seeding the Tomatoes: To avoid a watery ezme, you can de-seed the tomatoes before chopping them. We often skip this as we don't mind the juice in our Turkish style salsa.
  2. Fineness of Chopping: Vegetables should be finely chopped, but not completely pureed. The texture should be a little chunky. If you're using a food processor, be careful not to over-process.
  3. Adjust to Taste: The spiciness and tanginess of ezme can be adjusted according to your preference. Feel free to tweak the amount of chili peppers, pomegranate molasses, or lemon juice to suit your taste.
  4. Rest Before Serving: The flavor develops nicely when it's allowed to rest for a bit before serving. If you have time, let it sit for an hour or so in the refrigerator.

Storing:

Ezme should be stored in the refrigerator. Place it in an airtight container to prevent it from absorbing the flavors of other foods in your fridge. It will last for about 3-4 days.

When you are ready to serve, allow it to come to room temperature first. Give it a stir and then serve.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.giverecipe.com/turkish-spicy-ezme-salad/