I was stressed out the other day, what with tons of work and other annyoing stuff to get done by the end of the day, so I decided; “Heck, I’m going to make a salad. It’s spring after all.” (I don’t really say “heck” in real life.) Procrastination in full swing, my friends. My favorite activity is to find random excuses to cook, and this one was right thre.
I don’t get to make not-your-usual cucumber salad very often, I don’t know why. Maybe because in France cucumber is the staple of most boring basic salads. So in my mind it’s hardly associated with good taste and originality. Enter Yotam. Ah, Yotam. I’m sure he could take my least favorite vegetable (picture Swiss chard) and turn it into heaven. That’s just what he does.
This salad is crunchy and sweet and sour. It’s the perfect splash of colors to start off spring. It takes a minute to put together, and I had it again the next day: still as crazy delicious. Magic Yotam is in da house.
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Cucumber poppy seed salad
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 3-4 small cucumbers
- 1 red chili pepper
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp oil
Directions:
1. Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly. Slice them in quarters lengthwise, then cut pieces of about 1 1/2 inches sideways.
2. Rinse, slice, and deseed the chili pepper.
3. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients, malaxing with spoons or your hands for the flavors to blend. Serve immediately.
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My tips:
- If you let the salad sit for too long after making it, the dressing will soften the cucumbers. To avoid it, if you plan to eat it later, let the salad marinate for about 10 minutes, then empty the bowl from the (very liquid) dressing. At this point you can refrigerate in an airtight container for 24 hours.
- Adjust seasoning to your taste: I didn’t need salt and pepper, but you may!
Source: The Ottolenghi Cookbook
