Dooymaaj Salad Recipe (2024)

The recipe's introduction mentions a "splash of milk": I'm relieved to see that the recipe actually uses buttermilk (a sour base works better) and 1 cup of it (somewhat more than a splash). Yoghurt would work as well. I've found supermarket buttermilk comparatively overpriced: also, many brands add a lot of preservatives that confer a "synthetic" taste.

It's in the intro: "This refreshing, zesty, herb-filled bread salad is an homage to the beloved snack."

Confused. Where are the milk and the butter mentioned in the descriptive paragraph? The recipe calls for buttermilk...but not butter and not milk. And the finishing instructions say nothing about rolling ingredients into a ball.

The copy says "This refreshing, zesty, herb-filled bread salad is an homage to the beloved snack. " I think the operative word is homage.

I don't understand the herb amounts. How does 1 bunch of parsley become 3 cups loosely packed, 1 small bunch of mint becomes 2 cups loosely packed and is the basil from a small bunch and then becomes 1 1/4 cups loosely packed? In my experience bunches of fresh herbs vary radically in size.

This is a little fattoush-like. A dusting of sumac at the end would probably be a nice touch.

The descriptive paragraph is maybe a bit confusing. It mentions a beloved snack that involves milk and butter and rolling into a ball. As noted, this salad is an homage to the original and probably shares a handful of ingredients.

The recipe is "an homage" to the childhood snack, not a recipe for the snack itself

It is helpful that the herb amounts are noted in cups rather than only in "bunches." This way, when shopping, you can buy the appropriate number of bunches whatever size they are and have the needed amount for the recipe. Perhaps the recipe would be clearer with just the volumes and not bunch size, since they vary depending where you shop, or if you are lucky enough to be harvesting from your own herb garden.

Absolutely love this fresh, tangy, rich salad. So flavorful!

Does anybody have a good recipe for the „beloved snack“ itself? Sounds quite tempting.

Lightly toast the walnuts for added flavour and texture.

try a persian market. the bunches are large and 49 cents or so.

Several parts to the confusion. Memory vs."Recipe."1) The intro was a fond memory of her experience: "a nostalgic Iranian childhood snack," which she describes in detail for you. 2) She can't duplicate her mother's intuitive "non-recipe", so she created a "recipe" for you to enjoy a similar experience.3) Don't obsess! Grab whatever parsley, mint, and basil are available. Buy a bag of pita chips. Have fun! :-)4) About the author:http://bottomofthepot.com/about-the-book/

Made this pretty much as written but added cucumber diced, and then instead of buttermilk thinned out some Greek style natural yoghurt with milk and a dash of vinegar

Delightful. I would add a little extra spring onion, as many as 4 or 5 springs. When I got bites with the spring onion I really felt it brought out the flavors of everything else. You end up with quite a lot, so do make for a crowd. Wonderful dish.

Zesty is right! I made it for a potluck and it was very popular. Wanted to try it before Thanksgiving as I thought it might be a relief from all the usual richness. Indeed it is to be included in the feast! It held up well for at least an hour...

A handful of pomegranate seeds on top of each bowl adds a nice garnish. I used mast-o-musir (yogurt mixed with grated shallots), and it seemed a perfect substitute for buttermilk and scallions.

Delicious, I would definitely make this again.

Lots of easy substitutions for buttermilk, at least one of which likely to be already on hand in your pantry/fridge: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/buttermilk-substitutes#dairy-substitutes

i priced the herbs for the salad today and it would have been $15 - $20. Once again, the NYT provides a recipe that requires bountiful quantities of herbs that can be more expensive than any protein in a recipe. Most of us don't live in parts of the country where herbs grow year round in profuse quantities even in our own gardens.

For more background on this Iranian snack, you can check out this website: https://persianmama.com/dooymanj-dooymash/ It has more details and answers some of the questions asked in the notes

Substitution suggestions?(Especially for mint which I strongly dislike)Cilantro perhaps? Other herbs/greens?Thank you!

Really delicious. Living in the Middle East I don’t easily get buttermilk so subbed in the (maybe more authentic) ayran which worked perfectly. I adore herbs and creamy dressings so this was a winner. I have a feeling the herb mix is open to interpretation. Maybe next time I will toss in some dill and or coriander as well. The green onion is non negotiable.

Certainly clear from the start that this was a saladification of an old snack idea. Next time less salt and maybe some lemon juice. Toasted split leftover pita was good, too.

Pita crisps instead of lavash, or nah?

Absolutely love this fresh, tangy, rich salad. So flavorful!

Cooked this dish, it was pretty gross to be quite honest