Cucumbers – my new favorite vegetable

What do you do with cucumbers?  Slice them up and add them to a salad, right?  Maybe add to a wrap or a burger?  Not very exciting but very traditional, right?  And, by the way, I am not entirely clear about whether a cucumber is a fruit or vegetable, but most of us think of cukes as veggies so I do too.

I don’t know why but I went on a cucumber binge last week.  Scandinavian cucumber salad, Persian cucumber salad, Indian raita, a Moroccan cucumber-tomato salad, Thai cucumbers and peanuts, and a Chinese “smacked” cucumber salad – all over the space of six days, all delicious, and all very different from each other.

I’ll provide recipes for all of these below, but the point is that cucumbers can act like a perfect canvas to showcase other flavors, while retaining some element of “cucumberness.”  It’s amazing how herbs, oils, peppers, vinegars, and yogurt can completely transform a dish.

The opening step in this cucumber orgy was the Scandinavian salad and it couldn’t be simpler.  Equal amounts of sugar and cider vinegar mixed together and poured over thin cuke slices for a couple of hours in the fridge.  It’s basically a pure sweet and sour exercise but the cucumbers do a great job of uniting those flavors.  I was very surprised (and pleased) at how flavorful something this simple could be.

Cuke #2 was a Persian cucumber and yogurt appetizer that takes almost no work and is fantastic.  Finely chopped cucumbers are added to plain yogurt, followed by raisins, toasted walnuts, a pinch of salt, and dried mint.  I like to marinate my raisins in sherry vinegar first but that’s entirely optional.  This can be turned into Indian raita by omitting the raisins and walnuts and upping the amount of mint.  I’ve also improvised a little with a little cayenne that adds a little heat to the cool taste and texture of the cucumber, mint, and yogurt.

I travelled to North Africa for the dish, a Moroccan cucumber-tomato salad.  Finely diced tomatoes and cucumbers are dressed with lemon, olive oil, and mint.  It’s a little like tabbouleh without bulgur wheat.  Again, the cucumbers provide a perfect background for the louder flavors of tomato, lemon, and mint.

From there we head east to Thailand.  I’ve had variations of this dozens of times in Thai restaurants as either an amuse bouche or standard side dish.  Thinly sliced cucumbers are dressed with a sugar syrup, rice vinegar, hot chile, red onion, and peanuts.  The combination of chile heat and sweet/sour from the vinegar and syrup is a perfect foil for a big flavored main dish.

Finally, I have to give credit to Fuchsia Dunlop’s smacked cucumber in garlicky sauce.  In this dish, you bang a cucumber with a rolling pin or skillet or the flat side of a cleaver to break it up and get the cucumber juices flowing.  Add a tablespoon of minced garlic (which is somewhere between 2 and 4 cloves), soy sauce, Chinese vinegar, chile oil, and Szechuan pepper and the results are indescribable.  Again you get the cool background of the cucumber setting the table for an amazing amount of garlic and a typical set of Asian seasonings.  You just have to be a little careful about everything else on the menu because this dish is strong enough to dominate the meal.

Recipe – Scandinavian cucumber salad

Ingredients

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp cider vinegar

Directions

Put the cucumber slices in a bowl.  Mix the sugar and vinegar until the sugar is dissolved.  Add to the cucumbers and then refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Recipe – Persian cucumber and yogurt salad

Ingredients

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 tbl walnuts, toasted and choppoed

2 tbl raisins

salt and pepper

2 tsp dried mint (or 1 1/2 tbl fresh mint, finely chopped)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least an hour before serving

Recipe – Raita

Ingredients

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cup plain yogurt

salt and pepper

1 tbl dried mint

1/2 cup tomato, finely diced (optional)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least an hour before serving

Recipe – Moroccan tomato and cucumber salad

Ingredients

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 cup tomato, peeled and diced

salt and papper

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp dried mint

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least an hour before serving

Recipe – Thai cucumber and peanut salad

Ingredients

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 tbl rice vinegar

2 tbl water

1 tbl sugar

1 small hot chiles, finely diced (this may vary depending upon what chiles are available – you want definite but not overwhelming heat)

1 tbl red onion, minced

1 tbl peanuts, chopped

Directions

Mix vinegar, water, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved and liquid begins to thicken.  Cool.

When cooled, add all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.

Recipe – Smacked cucumber in a garlicky sauce

Ingredients

1 cucumber

1 tbl garlic, minced

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp Chinese vinegar

1 tbl chile oil

pinch ground Szechuan pepper (optional)

Directions

Using a rolling pin, skillet, or the flat side of a cleaver, bang the cucumber until it begins to break apart.  Then cut up into pieces.

Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.