Israeli-Style Mushroom Salad (salat pitriyot, in Hebrew) is an easy, vegan side salad of mushrooms, peppers, celery, and amazing flavor.
This delicious, savory side salad is easy and quick to prepare and makes a great side dish for picnics, BBQs, and events.
And it’s a terrific pita or lafa (Iraqi pita) fill for falafel and shawarma or topping for sandwiches!
Side salads are VERY popular with Israelis and they make the BEST.
They eat them with lunch and dinner, in their street food, at BBQs and gatherings, picnics. Really, just any time.
This mushroom salad (salat pitriyot – pronounced pee-tree-yoht) is so good and so simple to make!
Have it as a side! Stuff it in a pita or lafa (Iraqi pita)! Have it as a topper in your sandwich!
Or… just eat it as is with a fork!
It refrigerates well, so take it to work or school! Bring it to that potluck, picnic, or BBQ!
And, the ingredients in the salad (mushrooms, celery, and red pepper) have nutritional value!
What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?
When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).
The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it. Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.
Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.
What does it mean when a recipe says that an ingredient is “optional”?
If an ingredient is “optional,” it means that you can add it in or not based on your own preference. An optional ingredient can be flavor related (i.e., salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), appearance related (garnish), or even something like nuts or chocolate chips in baking.
What does “savory” mean?
“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.
A little about Israeli cuisine
Some people complain about cultural appropriation in cuisine when food from one country is attributed to another country.
However, national cuisine in itself is often a mingling of food from a variety of cultures, often due to a change of ruling countries and a shifting of borders.
When people move from country to country, they will take their cultures with them, and their descendants may adapt their traditional cuisine with that of their new home, and if they don’t, others might.
When one lives in a melting pot, such as the US or Israel, it is just unrealistic to expect that food from a particular culture won’t mingle with that of other cultures.
That being said, “Israeli cuisine” is basically Middle Eastern (as opposed to Eastern European food) that was brought to Israel by Jews when they fled or were expelled from Muslim countries and moved to Israel mostly after the declaration of the State of Israel (collectively known as Mizrahi Jews).
Recipes were passed from generation to generation, and although decades have passed, the foods are still known by the culture they came from, and everyone seems to have their own way of making them.
That said, there are many variations of pretty much any “Israeli” recipe because of background, custom, or even just taste. When choosing a recipe, one has to know what actually constitutes a main ingredient—what makes the dish what it is—and what is left up to individual taste.
So, find the recipes you like with the ingredients you prefer, add your own twists, and בתאבון (pronounced: b’te’ah’vone, literally translated, “with appetite”)!
What is needed for this recipe?
I hardly ever meal plan, so I like to keep a cupboard full of seasonings, spices, veggies, and canned goods in my kitchen to use whenever the mood strikes.
But these are what you need to have on hand to make this recipe even last minute!
mushrooms
celery
red bell pepper
turmeric powder
granulated garlic, or to taste
salt
oil for frying
Love side salads? Try these!
Vegetarian Russian Olivier Potato Salad
Classic Potato Salad with Eggs
Deli-Style Broccoli Salad
Moroccan-Israeli Eggplant Salad
Easy Israeli-Style Mushroom Salad Recipe
Delicious and easy, vegan mushroom salad with red pepper and celery.
Ingredients
- 24 ounces sliced mushrooms
- Large celery stalk, diced small
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced or chopped small
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Pour a little oil (approximately 2 tablespoons) oil on the bottom of a frying pan
- On medium heat, fry the diced celery, and pepper.
- Add the turmeric, garlic, and salt.
- Mix well.
- Add 1/2 cup of water and continue cooking until the celery and peppers are soft. Add more water if needed so the mixture doesn't dry out (the water should be almost completely evaporated by the time you are finished cooking).
- Add the mushrooms, mix, and cook for another 10 minutes or so.
- Let cool (chill, if desired)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 90Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 308mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 4g