Cool As A Cucumber Salad, Thai Style

One of the simple pleasures of dining in a Thai restaurant in the US is the lovely delicate cucumber salad they serve as an appetizer

We like it so much we make a big batch and serve a big scoop as a vegetarian side dish with BBQ. The delicate piquancy of the mild rice vinegar is a great counterpoint to the sweetness of a classic Kansas City sauce. And the best part is that, unlike so many other cold cucumber salads, there is no oil in this recipe!

And yes, that’s a flower in the picture. It’s an edible nasturtium from my wife’s garden, and it has a nice peppery flavor. She also grows the Thai basil, cukes, peppers, and onions.

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Thai Cucumber Salad Recipe

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Add a touch of Thai to your next backyard cookout with this recipe for sweet and tangy cold cucumber salad. Now you can replicate the delicious and delicate cucumber salad from your favorite Thai restaurant at home with this simple to prepare recipe.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Marinating Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 nice size bowls

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetable

Cuisine: Thai

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients Method Approximate Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

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• 4 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
• ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• ½ cup cold water
• 2 medium cucumbers (about 12 ounces)
• 2 medium scallions, pearl onions, or 1 small sweet onion
• 1 medium green jalapeño pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh Thai basil, chopped

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Method

 

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1. Prep. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, salt, vinegar, and water together until the dry ingredients are dissolved.
2. Chop the scallions on an angle starting from the white bulb up the stem about two inches into the green stems. Squish them a bit to separate them into rings. Add to the bowl.
3. Cut the jalapeño in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds. If you don’t want it too hot, cut out the white ribs. Like heat? Leave the ribs in there. Thinly slice the jalapeño and add to the bowl.
4. Peel the cucumbers and run the tines of a fork lightly along the exterior flesh so that it makes scratches in the surface. Scoring the cucumber like this is not necessary, it just makes it look cool. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Cut the cucumber into 1/8-inch (3.2 mm) slices. Add to the bowl. Add the basil. If you are using cilantro, add it now.
5. Marinate. Stir everything, coating the ingredients with the dressing, then cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
6. Serve. Serve chilled. If you plan to use chopped peanuts as a topping, add them at the last minute so they don’t get soggy.

Notes

About the rice vinegar. Rice vinegar is the secret ingredient, and no other vinegar works as well. It is not hard to find. Most groceries carry it. Some are seasoned and some are not. Get the unseasoned if you can, but the seasoned works fine. By far the most popular brand is Nakano, and it is a good choice. I’ve bought other brands in Asian stores and regretted it.

About the basil. Thai basil often is a lovely purple and is slightly stronger in flavor than regular sweet basil. It also has notes of lemon and licorice. If you can’t find Thai basil, you can use fresh regular sweet basil. It will taste just fine. But if you can find it, use the Thai stuff, it really amps this dish up to 11.

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

Optional. You can add some red pepper flakes for color and more heat if you love the burn. If you add hot pepper, you might want to add a tablespoon or two of good olive oil to cut the heat. It also adds a bit of body. And while you’re at it, add a few sprigs of chopped cilantro if you like it, and/or chopped unsalted peanuts on the top just before serving.

Approximate Nutrition

Calories: 73kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 297mgPotassium: 232mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 232IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

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