The Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Turkish vegetarian cooking collection describes Pancar Salatası with boiled beet rounds, vinegar, crushed garlic and some of the beet cooking liquid. It recommends an overnight chill. This home version gives weighed seasoning and six side portions.
Pancar Salatası — Recipe Card
Tender beet slices in a chilled garlic and vinegar dressing
Makes 6 servings · Six side portions. Allow about 1 hour 25 minutes before chilling, then at least 8 hours in the refrigerator.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Pancar Salatası
Boil until tender
Scrub the beets thoroughly under running water. Remove the leaves, leaving about 2.5 cm / 1 inch of stem and the slender root intact. Put in a saucepan with the measured 1,500 ml / 6¼ cups water, adding extra if needed to cover. Bring to a boil, partly cover and simmer for 40–60 minutes, until a small knife slips easily into the centre. Larger beets may need longer.
Reserve liquid and peel
Before draining, strain 240 ml / 1 cup of the beet cooking liquid into a heatproof jug. Stand the jug in a cold-water bath to cool quickly. Drain the beets and let them cool just until safe to handle, about 10–15 minutes. Rub away the skins, trim off the stem and root ends, then cut into rounds about 6 mm / ¼ inch thick. Put the slices in shallow containers.
Mix the dressing
Stir the vinegar, crushed garlic and salt into the reserved 240 ml / 1 cup cooled beet liquid. Pour over the slices and turn gently to coat.
Chill overnight
Cool promptly and get the containers into the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the room is above 32°C / 90°F. Cover and chill at 4°C / 40°F or below for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Serve with the dressing
Gently turn the slices in their dressing. Divide between six small bowls and spoon some of the red liquid into each. Serve chilled, keeping the remaining salad refrigerated.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-beet-salad-with-garlic-pancar-salatasi. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Dietary notes
Vegan and gluten-free with the plain, gluten-free-labelled distilled white vinegar specified here. Use gluten-free-labelled flakes if adding the optional hot pul biber.
Heat level
No added chili; raw garlic gives the dressing a pungent edge. For a hotter variation, add 1 g / ½ teaspoon gluten-free-labelled hot pul biber to the finished salad.
Choosing beets
Pick firm beets of a similar size so they soften at about the same time. The listed weight is before cooking and peeling. Remove each beet when tender if the sizes differ.
Measuring the liquid
Only 240 ml / 1 cup of the cooking water goes into the dressing; discard the rest after measuring. The US cup measure used here is 240 ml.
How to store and reheat Pancar Salatası
Keep covered at 4°C / 40°F or below and use within 2 days of cooking, counting the overnight chill as part of that time. Use a clean spoon to serve. Limit time out of refrigeration to 2 hours in total, or 1 hour above 32°C / 90°F. Serve chilled.
Pancar Salatası: questions and answers
Why keep some of the cooking liquid?
It carries the beet colour and flavour into the vinegar dressing. Measure it before draining the saucepan, then cool it quickly before mixing.
Should I peel the beets before boiling?
For this method, leave the skins on while cooking. Once the beets are tender and cool enough to handle, the skins rub away easily.
Why chill the salad overnight?
The rest gives the garlic and vinegar time to flavour the slices. Keep the salad refrigerated throughout and turn the slices gently before serving.
