Ezme (Turkish Acili Ezme)
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!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 7 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 medium ]tomatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 small green bell pepper (or 2 Turkish green peppers)
- 1 small red chili pepper
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon pepper paste ((biber salcasi))
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses ((nar eksisi))
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
Instructions
- 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.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
Mix everything: Pour the dressing into the bowl with the mashed vegetables and give it a good stir.
- 7
Serve: Drizzle extra olive oil and pomegranate molasses over the ezme when serving, if desired.