Timatim salata

Name: Timatim salata
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 tomatoes, diced; ½ red onion, finely diced; 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 clove garlic, grated (optional); ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper

Vegetarian

ቲማቲም ሰላጣ · Timatim selata

Diced ripe tomatoes with red onion and hot green chilli dressed in lemon juice and oil — the fresh, sharp counterpoint to rich Ethiopian stews.

Timatim salata is an Ethiopian salad, ready in about 20 minutes and made with tomato and jalapeño. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

Close-up of a fresh tomato salad garnished with herbs, served in a decorative bowl. — Photo: Артем Смолдарев / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 0 min
Rest: 10 min
Total: 20 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 89

Ingredients

4 servings

4 (480 g) Tomatoes (opens in a new tab), diced
½ (55 g) Red onion (opens in a new tab), finely diced
1 (14 g) Jalapeño (opens in a new tab), seeded and finely choppedSwap: Green chilli
2 tbsp (30 g) Lemon juice (opens in a new tab)
2 tbsp (27 g) Olive oil (opens in a new tab)Swap: Neutral vegetable oil
1 clove (4 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), grated (optional)
½ tsp (3 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
¼ tsp (0.5 g) Black pepper (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Dice the tomatoes (opens in a new tab), finely dice the onion and seed and chop the chilli.
Food safety: Wash hands after handling chillies.
How it looks · Photo: Christina & Peter on Pexels
2
Step 2
Combine the tomatoes (opens in a new tab), onion and chilli in a bowl.
- 1 min
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the lemon juice (opens in a new tab), oil, garlic (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab), pour over and stir. Leave 10 minutes for the juices to mingle.
- 2 min
- Whisk (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Ethiopia · Well documentedAlso popular in EritreaMore food from Ethiopia
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Side dishes
Cooking method: Raw, No-cook
Taste: fresh, spicy (chilli heat), tangy
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Tomato · Jalapeño · Red onion · Lemon juice
Techniques: Knife skills

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

89 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 152 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 5%
Carbohydrate 28%
Fat 67%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	89 kcal	58 kcal
Protein	1.2 g	0.8 g
Carbohydrate	6.6 g	4.3 g
Net carbohydrate	4.8 g	3.2 g
Sugars	4.2 g	2.7 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	1.7 g	1.1 g
Fat	7 g	4.6 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	299 mg	196 mg
Salt equivalent	0.7 g	0.5 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 319 mg
Calcium: 17 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Magnesium: 16 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 52 µg
Vitamin C: 24 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): —

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: garlic.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Use the ripest tomatoes you can — their juice becomes the dressing for the injera.

Common mistakes

Leaving it for hours — the tomatoes go watery and the onion overpowers.

Serve with

With injera alongside misir wot, shiro or tibs.

Storage

Best eaten the same day.

Variations

Timatim fitfit (Ethiopia): Toss in torn pieces of injera so they soak up the juices.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 28 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Tomato, diced4 piece · 480 g
Jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped1 piece · 14 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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