Timatim Salata
Timatim salata is the fresh salad that shows up on nearly every Ethiopian and Eritrean platter, a plain mix of tomato, onion, and green chile that most cooks would salt heavily. It does not need it. The lemon juice both seasons the salad and tames the onion, and letting the whole bowl rest for a few minutes turns the tomato liquid into its own dressing. Use the ripest tomatoes you can find, since with so few ingredients the fruit itself is most of the flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 Fresh tomatoes, cored and diced
- 1/2 Red onions, finely diced
- 1 Serrano, seeded and minced
- 3 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 Lemon, juiced
Method
- Put the diced red onion in a bowl with the lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes while you prep the rest. The acid pulls the harsh sulfur bite out of raw onion and starts to season it, doing the softening a pinch of salt usually would.
- Add the tomatoes, minced chile, and parsley to the bowl and fold everything together.
- Let the salad rest for 10 minutes so the tomatoes weep a little and the juices, chile, and lemon pool into a light dressing. Grind over black pepper.
- Toss once more and serve at room temperature. It is meant to sit on injera next to hot lentil and vegetable stews, where its job is to be raw, sharp, and cold against everything else.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 55 calories, 2 g protein, 2 g fiber, 10 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
