Spoon Salad | Gaziantep-Style Finely Chopped Salad with Sumac

Halve the tomatoes and scoop out the seed-filled gel with a spoon; this is the key to keeping the salad from getting watery. Cut the remaining flesh into strips, then into cubes no larger than 4 mm. Use a sharp knife; a dull one crushes the tomatoes instead of cutting them, releasing their juice onto the cutting board.

Peel the cucumber in strips, remove the seed core with the tip of a knife, and dice it to the same size as the tomatoes. Halve the long green peppers lengthwise, remove the seeds, and cut them into tiny cubes. Slice the onion into thin rings, then quarter the rings; large pieces of onion will sit by themselves on the spoon.

Separate the parsley leaves from the stems and chop them finely. Do not discard the stems; chop them just as finely, and they add crunch to the salad. Tear the mint leaves by hand and chop them; mint bruised too much with a knife turns dark. Pat the herbs dry with paper towels after chopping.

Toss the diced vegetables and herbs with a spoon in a large bowl. Five minutes before serving, add the sumac, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes, then toss again. If more than 1 tablespoon of liquid has collected at the bottom of the bowl, the salad has been sitting; drain it before serving.