Salata is always light and crunchy, making it a perfect counterpoint to Afghan cuisine’s heavier dishes. Some Afghan cooks consider it a point of pride when the diced vegetables are small and uniform in size. The result reminds a little of a colorful bowl of confetti. For those in Afghanistan who can afford fresh vegetables, salata is a staple on the Afghan table. If you can’t get your hands on any decent tomatoes, hang onto the recipe until you can. Modified recipe off by Humaira Ghilzai and Katie Morford.