Semizotu salatası (purslane salad)

Semizotu salatası, or purslane salad, is a delight to eat. Purslane has a fresh, tangy flavour with subtle lemony notes that blend beautifully with chopped tomatoes, cucumber and aubergine. The leaves are tender, plump and succulent, providing a unique texture that pairs perfectly with the other vegetables.

We use a vinegar and olive oil dressing that enhances the brightness of the purslane - though you can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar if you prefer citrus flavours. Ideally, you would make the salad with Cyprus aubergines, which are stripey and sweeter than other varieties, though any variety will work. The salad is great served alongside dishes like patates köftesi, bamya yemeği and patlıcan yemeği.

Purslane grows from May to September in Cyprus. In addition to semizotu salatası, it appears in a variety of other traditional dishes, including semizotu yemeği, a simple and comforting tomato-based stew, and semizotu böreği, an oven-baked pastry made with fresh yufka and filled with purslane and cheese. These dishes showcase the versatility of this seasonal green in Cypriot cuisine.

Serves 4 to 5 as a side | Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Vegetables
250g purslane	1-2 (200g) aubergines
2 (200g) medium tomatoes	1 (150g) medium cucumber
Dressing
100-150 ml extra virgin olive oil, or as desired	25-50 ml malt vinegar, or as desired
½ tsp salt, or as desired

Method

1. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly and drain well.

   
   

2. Sift through the purslane, removing any older or yellowing leaves. Trim the bottom third to half of the stalks (the tougher parts) and discard, then cut the remaining stalks and leaves into 3 cm pieces. 

   
   

   

   
   

3. Peel the aubergines in alternating 1 cm-wide stripes. Slice both the aubergine and cucumber lengthways into quarters, then cut the strips into 1 cm pieces.

   
   

   

   
   

4. Cut the tomatoes into quarters lengthways. Slice each quarter into four strips, then chop into 1 cm pieces.

   
   

5. Mix the dressing ingredients well, then pour over the vegetables in a large bowl and toss together with tongs. Serve.