This Georgian salad is super easy to make and it’s perfect to switch your salads up a bit! Made with juicy fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers and a unique walnut dressing, it makes the perfect side dish to any meal.
This salad a traditional side dish from Georgia. Many Georgian dishes actually use walnuts so it’s no surprise that there is also a super delicious walnut based salad dressing!
What is a Georgian salad?
Georgia is not known for its salads. Although most restaurants will serve two versions of this salad. Tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, peppers, and fresh herbs either served with vinegar or with this delicious walnut dressing.
Ingredients – What you need
Tomatoes – high quality tomatoes really make a difference
Cucumbers – I like to peel off the skin, or most of it anyways, to remove some of the bitterness, but it’s not necessary if you don’t mind the skin.
Onion – preferably red, but any other onion will work too. If raw onion is too punger, you can soak them for at least 15 minutes in cold or ice water. You could also pickle them.
Green pepper – You can use a hot one if you like the heat or sweet if you don’t
Garlic cloves – Raw ones are used in this salad. If they’re too strong, you can mix them with an acid, like lemon juice as acidic foods impede the chemical reaction that creates the zing.
Dried fenugreek – this herb is often used in Georgian cuisine. If you don’t have it you could substitute it with dried mint or just skip it.
Fresh coriander – you can use parlsey if you prefer
Walnuts – walnuts are the star of the show. I like to grind them on their own first to make it easier to incorporate with the rest of the dressing ingredients
Others – red wine vinegar, water, salt and pepper
Step by step instructions
- First grind the walnuts in a food processor.
- To a pestle and mortar or food processor, add garlic, salt, and pepper and pound it into a paste. Add the ground walnuts and continue pounding. Then add the cilantro and fenugreek and do the same. Finally add red wine vinegar and a little bit of water to make it more liquid.
- Prepare the vegetables: Cut the tomatoes in cubes, peel and cut the cucumbers, cut the pepper, and slice the red onion.
- Add all the vegetables to a big bowl together with basil, add the walnuts dressing and mix to combine.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I love to see recreations and share them!
Georgian Salad With Walnut Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 tomatoes
- 3 cucumbers
- 1 red onion
- 1 green pepper hot if you like the heat or sweet if not
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek
- 1 bunch of coriander
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Water
- Salt and pepper
- fresh basil purple or chinese
Instructions
- First grind the walnuts in a food processor.
- To a pestle and mortar or food processor, add garlic, salt, and pepper and pound it into a paste. Add the ground walnuts and continue pounding. Then add the cilantro and fenugreek and do the same. Finally add red wine vinegar and a little bit of water to make it more liquid.
- Prepare the vegetables
- Cut the tomatoes in cubes, peel and cut the cucumbers, cut the pepper, and slice the red onion.
- Add all the vegetables to a big bowl together with basil, add the walnuts dressing and mix to combine.
