Big Asian flavours come together in this easy Thai cucumber salad. Just the thing when you need a quick but delicious side.
Thai cucumber salad works with any Asian inspired grilled or fried chicken. Or ribs. Thai style pork ribs. Perfect for those late summer or early fall backyard BBQs.
It’s great any time of year really. Cucumbers are amazing fresh from the field. But they are still pretty good all year round. Wish everything was like that. Imagine a decent tomato in February. That would be incredible.
The ingredients make this Thai cucumber salad
I don’t think this salad is actually Thai. Not the Thai cucumber salad everyone is making anyway.
Closest thing I’ve seen is simple quick pickled cucumber. That is Thai. Rice wine vinegar. Water. Salt. Sugar. Cucumber. Heat everything up to make a syrup. Add the cucumbers. Let it sit. Pickled cucumber. Authentic.
This is not that dish. This is Thai inspired really. A cucumber salad that uses Thai ingredients. I’m going to call that Thai cucumber salad. But it isn’t really.
What it is is tasty. Which is good enough for me. Fire from Thai red chilies. Tang from lime. Complexity from fish sauce. A bit of sugar to bring it all together. Hot. Sour. Salty. Sweet. The calling cards of Southeast Asia.
You don’t have to be too precise
This is a salad. Not a cake. So you can play with the quantities. I would keep the fish sauce and lime juice about the same. That’s the vinaigrette. Defines the dish.
But the rest is really up to you. A handful of cilantro. Sliced shallots to taste. Lots of peanuts. Less peanuts. Coarsely chopped. Or whole.
More chilies. Or no chilies. Or sambal oelek. Black pepper. More sugar. Less sugar. Whatever you feel like. I’d be careful about more garlic though.
It’s great in a grazing menu
I like this with anything grilled. I already said that. But my other favourite way to serve it is as part of a grazing menu. Makes great party food.
Everybody loves it so it’s almost a no brainer. Pick all your favourite Asian bites and have a party. You can make it ahead. Not a week before but hours are OK. It gets better if it sits a while anyway.
Think satay. And fresh spring rolls. Or fried spring rolls. Or both. Maybe some Vietnamese bun cha style meatballs. These crazy delicious Asian grilled chicken wings . All good.
If it’s more of a sit down meal think cool Vietnamese noodles. Bun thit nyong is good. Lemongrass chicken noodle salad. Pad Thai.
Look around glebekitchen. There’s lots of dishes that would pair beautifully. Pick your favourites and add Thai cucumber salad. Or grill up some chicken. It just works.
thai cucumber salad
Ingredients
- 2 english cucumbers sliced thinly
- 2 large shallots sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp palm sugar jaggery or even white sugar works
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 thai red chilies sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and sugar. Stir to combine. This is your dressing.
- Cut the cucumber in half and slice thinly.
- Combine the cucumber, dressing, red chilies and cilantro.
- Garnish with peanuts.
- Serve or refrigerate a few hours if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
thai cucumber salad
Ingredients
- 2 english cucumbers sliced thinly
- 2 large shallots sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp palm sugar jaggery or even white sugar works
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 thai red chilies sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and sugar. Stir to combine. This is your dressing.
- Cut the cucumber in half and slice thinly.
- Combine the cucumber, dressing, red chilies and cilantro.
- Garnish with peanuts.
- Serve or refrigerate a few hours if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
This is a quick and easy mint raita that’s perfect with papadums. Or onion bhaji. Or pakoras. Almost anything. Indian mint sauce.
Clean flavours. Bright. Tasty. Super easy to make. And versatile. There’s not a lot not to like about this. Unless you want authentic Indian. This is not that.
This is my go to restaurant style mint raita. Restaurants outside of India that is. I don’t think you’d find this Indian mint sauce anywhere in India.
It’s a mint dip really. A little thinner than a classic raita. Sweet. I actually don’t know why it works. But it does. I really shouldn’t like it. But I do. I’m betting you will too.
Mint raita takes no time to make
This almost isn’t a recipe. Just toss some stuff in a bowl and mix. Literally. You need to chop some herbs I suppose. Two minutes. Measure a few ingredients. Maybe another minute or two. And stir. Fifteen seconds.
Stir in a bit of milk to adjust the consistency. Another thirty seconds. Taste and and add a bit of salt. Fifteen seconds. So under five minutes. This has to be the easiest Indian dish ever.
Make sure you have the right mint sauce
This one can trip you up if you aren’t careful. Mint jelly is not the same as mint sauce. It’s not hard to find if you know what you’re looking for.
Check the ingredients. Mint, vinegar, and sugar. That’s about it. A other things in there. But mostly just those three.
Coleman’s is a famous brand. Baxters is another. Where I live there are domestic versions as well. It’s a key ingredient in tandoori marinade as well. So it’s good to have around.
That’s it. A few ingredients. Instant mint raita. Not authentic. More like Indian mint sauce. Tasty stuff. Try it. It surprised me the first time I made it. Maybe it will surprise you as well.
easy mint raita – indian mint sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
- 3 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- 3 tbsp mint finely chopped
- 4 tsp mint sauce not the same thing as mint jelly
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2-3 tsp milk to adjust consistency (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the milk in a small bowl.
- Add the milk, a little bit at a time, stirring it in until you get the consistency you like.
Nutrition
