Grocery Tips: Salad

Produce is generally cheap in Yemen, alhamdulillah and I typically find the produce that I was used to in the states, except maybe sweet potatoes. The kind I have seen here are really puny.

 

Anyway,  my son found out that you can go to these little on the street produce stores and get salad fixin’s easily.   You just ask for x number riyals of “salata (salad).  Instead of  having to pick the individual things, they get you a bag of stuff. We usually get 200-300 riyals of salata. Yesterday, for example for 200 riyals (1 dollar) we got: 2 onions, 5 carrots, 2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, a handful of chili peppers, 2 small bunches of lettuce, a 1 bunch of mint, 2 bunches parsley. Sometimes, we get a green pepper or two, maybe some cabbage.  So its really handy and great for when you want to make quick salad. 

 

They do sell salad dressing here, but I usually end up making a ranch type dressing with a carton of yogurt, one veggie Maggi cube, parsley, and dill if I have it, and a little pepper.. Mix it up in a blender, or by hand. If you let it sit in fridge a few hours before serving, its even better.

Dips & Salsas

Sahawa (Salsa)

 

This is a recipe from Yemen. It is used on chicken, beans, rice, etc.

 

4 tomatoes, chopped

1-2 cucumbers, chopped (optional)

1/4 hot pepper (or to taste)

1 clove garlic, diced

1 tsp olive oil (optional)

Pepper and salt to taste

 

Blend 1st four ingredients in a blender or hand food grater. Should be the consistency of a salsa. Add olive oil. Eat with chicken, beans, or rice.

 

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Feta Cheese (Jubn Abyad) Dip

1/2 cup feta cheese

4 tomatoes, diced

1 clove garlic, diced

2 tsp olive oil

 

 

Mix the first three ingredients in a bowl.

Add the olive oil and mix thoroughly.

Eat with samosas, bread, or anything else you like.