This Thai cucumber salad recipe is easy to make and brimming with the quintessential tastes of Thai cooking. It's one of my personal all-time favorite salads across any and all cuisines, and it takes only 10 minutes to prepare. Serve this unique salad as a side dish at dinner, or as a light and tasty lunch or snack. Also, a great salad recipe for a party, BBQ, picnic, or potluck party, since it can be made as you're going out the door!
Ingredients
For the Salad
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1 English cucumber or 2 field cucumbers, washed and dried, cut into bite-size chunks
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1 shallot, minced, or 1/4 cup minced red onion
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2 green onions, finely sliced
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1 fresh red chili, de-seeded and minced, or 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
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1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
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1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, for garnish
For the Dressing
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2 tablespoons fish sauce
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1/2 lime, juiced
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1 tablespoon soy sauce
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
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1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons sugar, or more, to taste
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Add shallot, green onion, chili or red pepper, and cilantro to salad bowl (reserve some extra cilantro for garnish).
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Gather dressing ingredients.
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Combine dressing ingredients together in a cup, stirring to dissolve sugar. Taste for sweet-sour balance, adding more sugar if it's too sour for your taste. (Note that dressing will taste quite salty and pungent now, but will be perfect once combined with salad.)
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Pour dressing over salad and toss well. To serve, top with chopped peanuts, plus extra cilantro. If desired, garnish with a slice of lime. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 hours.
Tips
- If serving this salad as the main course, add 1 cup cooked baby shrimp as a protein source.
- Note that the longer this salad sits, the more liquid will gather at the bottom of the bowl or plate (juice from the cucumber). If you want to make it ahead of time, just be sure to re-toss the salad before serving. This salad is best eaten the same day you make it.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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112 | Calories |
5g | Fat |
15g | Carbs |
5g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 4 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 112 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 5g | 6% |
Saturated Fat 1g | 4% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 934mg | 41% |
Total Carbohydrate 15g | 6% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 10% |
Total Sugars 7g | |
Protein 5g | |
Vitamin C 27mg | 134% |
Calcium 50mg | 4% |
Iron 1mg | 7% |
Potassium 419mg | 9% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
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