Persian side salad · 10 minutes
Salad Shirazi Recipe (Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad)
Tiny dice. Dried mint. Dress just before serving.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenSalad shirazi is the small diced salad served with every Persian kebab and rice dish. It turns into a watery bowl when the tomatoes are seedy or it is dressed too early. The fix is dicing everything small, seeding the tomatoes, and adding the lime, salt and oil just before serving.
The 3 laws of salad shirazi
Why this recipe works
Chunks
The fine cut is the point.
Whole tomatoes
Seeds make it watery.
Early dressing
Salt pulls out water.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Salad
The NineFoods dice gauge
Is the dice right?
Look at a spoonful.
Method · 2 stages
Step by step
Dice
- Dice cucumber, seeded tomato and onion small. Use the gauge above.
Dress
- Just before serving add lime, oil, mint, salt and pepper; toss.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Seeds or early salt.
Fix next time
Seed tomatoes and dress at the end.
Why
Too little acid.
Fix next time
Add more lime.
Why
Strong onion.
Fix next time
Rinse diced onion in cold water.
Why
Large seedy cucumbers.
Fix next time
Use small Persian cucumbers.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Persian cucumbers | Crunch | English cucumber, seeded |
| Lime juice | Acid | Lemon or sour grape juice |
| Dried mint | Aroma | Fresh mint |
| Olive oil | Richness | Leave out for the traditional version |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Koobideh, jujeh kabab, tahchin and any polo.
Store
Undressed in the fridge 1 day.
Reheat
Serve cold.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 4 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 2 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is the dice right) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Salad Shirazi FAQ
What is salad shirazi?
A Persian salad of finely diced cucumber, tomato and onion with lime and mint.
Why is it called shirazi?
It comes from the city of Shiraz.
Can I make it ahead?
Chop ahead and dress just before serving.
Is salad shirazi vegan?
Yes.