This salad is a variation on the Thai green papaya salad (Som Tam). This version uses cucumbers instead of the harder to find and less familiar (to me) green papaya’s. It reminds me a lot of the cucumber salad that my Danish grandmother used to make which was flavored with salt and pepper and used cucumbers cut very very thin. It was both familiar and novel. In Thailand it would be served very hot, but at home you can adjust the heat to suit your families tastes.
This salad coincidentally matches up with my new series Around the World in 30 Dishes.
Salad #43 – Easy Thai Cucumber Salad
Author: Dana
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
- 4 mini cucumbers sliced (or one large)
- ½ tbsp salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- squirt sriracha sauce or ½ jalapeno
- 4 stalks cilantro
- chopped peanuts for topping
Instructions
- Place the cucumbers in a strainer and mix with the salt. Leave them in the sink for at least 30 minutes.
- Rinse with cold water and dry gently with paper towels and place in a bowl.
- Whisk the vinegar and sugar until dissolved.
- Toss the cucumbers, vinegar mixture, sriracha and cilantro together.
- Serve topped with peanuts.
- Toss the cucumbers with the salt in a colander, and leave in the sink to drain for at least 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
- Whisk together the sugar and vinegar in a mixing bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro; toss to combine. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top before serving.
Notes
Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/thai-cucumber-salad/
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Did They Eat It?
Stephen: Oh, that’s good.
Anne: Very nice. A little spicier than I would normally eat but it was good.
Dana: Simple to put together and nice textures.
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