Ingredients:
- 2 medium to large cucumbers (if using organic, you can leave the skin on; otherwise, slice off the skin)
- 1 shallot, minced (OR substitute 2 cloves garlic, minced)
- 2 green onions, sliced
- handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
- 1 fresh red chilli, de-seeded and minced (OR if you prefer a milder salad, substitute 1/2 diced red bell pepper)
- handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
- DRESSING:
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce OR vegetarian fish sauce (available by the bottle at Asian food stores)
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (available by the jar at Asian food stores) – Vegetarians substitute 1 Tbsp. more veg. fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
- optional: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. dried chilli flakes
- optional: 1/2 tsp. sugar (to taste)
Directions:
- Slice your cucumber into nice moderately thick slices(see picture). *note, slicing too thin may leave you with a watery mushy salad.
- Add the shallot (or garlic), green onion, chilli, basil, and coriander to the cucumber. Toss to combine.
- To make the dressing, stir together the dressing ingredients in a cup. Taste-test the dressing for salt and sweetness/sourness, adding a little sugar if needed. If too salty, add more lime juice.(Note that it will taste strong now, but milder once it is on the salad).
- Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to several hours.*
*Cucumber Salad Tip: Note that the longer this salad sits, the more liquid will gather at the bottom of the bowl or plate (some of this is juice from the cucumber – the rest is the dressing). If you want to make it ahead of time, just be sure to re-toss the salad before serving, then discard the leftover liquid. OR, better still, keep the salad and dressing in separate containers until ready to eat. Then just toss and serve.
