Gaza Salad

This recipe for Gaza salad is a spicy Palestinian chili sauce, with fresh herbs like dill, tomatoes, chili and lots of flavor. It’s really simple to make, you need just a handful of everyday ingredients and it is the perfect side dish to so many things. You can also eat this plain, just by scooping it up with some pita bread!

Ingredients you need for this spicy Gaza salad:

Garlic: just one clove so you get the flavor without too much bite from the raw garlic

Green chili: You can remove the seeds to get less spiciness, or keep the seeds in for a spicier salsa.

Salt: helps break down the chilli and garlic when pounding them, and you can also add more to taste as needed.

Onion: I like using a red onion, the flavor compliments the salsa so well!

Dill: fresh dill gives so much flavor to this salsa, if you really don’t like dill you can subsititute parsley but this will give you a different flavor profile.

Tomato: You can pound the tomato as much or as little as you like, I like having a few chunks of tomato in the finished salad. Use a ripe tomato so it’s easier to break down.

Olive oil and lemon juice: These form the basis of the dressing, use good quality extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice

How to make this Palestinian chili sauce:

1. Using a mortar and pestle, add the garlic clove, chili and salt and pound until a rough paste forms.
2. Add the onion and continue to pound with the pestle, then add the dill and pound even more.
3. Add the tomato and pound with the pestle until it starts to break down into a salsa like consistency.
4. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and stir. Taste for seasoning, and store in the fridge until ready to use.

What to serve Gaza salad with:

It would be delicious with any variety of rice dishes. Try it with Chicken machboos, lamb mandi, lamb haneeth, makloubeh, or sayadieh.

You could also just scoop this up with fresh pita bread, or use it to add spice to labneh, hummus, or any other mezze dish.

This would also be great as a side dish to grilled meats like kebab or shish tawook.

Storing leftovers:

Leftovers will last 4-5 days tightly covered in the fridge. Store them in an airtight container or tightly wrapped. If it becomes a little liquidy in the fridge, just drain the extra water, or stir to combine.

Expert tips and tricks:

• It really helps to use a mortar and pestle, as you’ll be able to smash the ingredients into a paste the authentic way.
• Use fresh, ripe ingredients, like ripe tomato to make sure that it’ll be easy to break it down with the pestle.
• If you let the salad marinate for 15-30 minutes before serving, you’ll get the flavors to really meld together.
• Chop the veggies well in advance to make your job easier when mashing them together.

Gaza salad FAQs:

For more delicious Middle Eastern side dishes:

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