Timatim is the only raw, cold dish served alongside the spicy foods at an Ethiopian table. The tomatoes, yellow onion, and green hot pepper are diced to the same small size; the dressing contains only lemon, mustard, and olive oil, with no other spices. The salad is often spooned onto a small piece of injera, a traditional flatbread, or lavash, then picked up and eaten with the bread. The key is the cut: the pieces must be small enough to stay on the bread.
Halve the tomatoes and scoop out the watery, seedy centers with a spoon; that liquid would make the dressing runny. Cut the remaining flesh into strips, then into 1 cm cubes. The size matters: the pieces should sit on the bread without rolling off.
Dice the onion to the same size as the tomatoes. Rinse it under cold water in a strainer and shake off the water; this mellows the raw onion’s sharpness. Thinly slice the hot peppers into rings. To reduce the heat, remove the seeds.
Whisk the lemon juice, mustard, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk until the dressing turns cloudy and emulsifies. Add the tomatoes, onion, and pepper and gently fold from the bottom twice without crushing the pieces. Cut the lavash into triangles and serve alongside.
Salt draws liquid from the tomatoes. If the salad will sit for more than 10 minutes before serving, add the salt and lemon at the table; otherwise, liquid will pool at the bottom and quickly soak the bread.
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