The cucumbers in our garden do not seem to stop growing. New cucumbers seem to be popping up by the minute. They have been made into salads, eaten on their own, made into sushis, you name it. So this is my latest recipe with cucumbers. It is definitely not for the faint hearted, mostly scary because of the appalling recipe, but also this salad is rather hot and can potentially send you racing for that cold glass of beer or even through the roof! The combination of hot fiery chillies marinated in vinegar with crisp refreshing cucumber is quite a gastronomic adventure.
In South East Asia, this salad is also known as Archar. There are many variations and this is my version which I made with fresh vegetables from our garden.
Ingredients:
Salad:
500 g Cucumbers
100 g Carrots
100 g Cabbage
400 g Canned pineapples in juice
5 Red chillies
3 Green chillies
3 tbsp Sesame seeds
Marinate:
100 ml White vinegar
2 tsp Salt
4 tbsp Sugar
Dressing:
15 g Dried shrimps *
1 inch Galangal *
3 Red chillies
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Chopped lemon grass
1 tsp Salt
3 Candle nuts *
4 tbsp Olive oil
Steps:
1. Soak dried shrimp in hot water till soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Seed cucumbers. Cut into 2 inch strips. Peel and cut carrots into 2 inch strips.
3. Seed and cut the 5 red and 3 green chillies into thin strips.
4. Cut pineapples into bit size chunks.
5. Add cucumbers, carrots, chillies and pineapples into a large bowl. Mix together white vinegar, 2 tsp salt and 4 tbsp sugar. Add to vegetables and leave to marinate.
6. Now to prepare the salad dressing. Blend dried shrimps, galangal, 3 red chillies, turmeric powder, lemon grass, salt and candle nuts in a food processor until it forms a paste. Add a little oil if mixture is too dry.
7. In a frying pan, heat up 4 tbsp olive oil. Fry mixture till fragrant, about 10 minutes.
8. Set salad dressing aside to cool.
9. Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan till golden brown.
10. Chop peanuts rather finely in a food processor.
11. Add salad dressing, sesame seeds and peanuts to the salad. Cover and keep in fridge overnight to let the taste develop. The salad lasts if kept in an air tight container.
* You can get these at any Asian grocery store.
In South East Asia, this salad is also known as Archar. There are many variations and this is my version which I made with fresh vegetables from our garden.
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| Spicy Cucumber Salad with Peanuts |
Ingredients:
Salad:
500 g Cucumbers
100 g Carrots
100 g Cabbage
400 g Canned pineapples in juice
5 Red chillies
3 Green chillies
80 g Roasted peanuts
Marinate:
100 ml White vinegar
2 tsp Salt
4 tbsp Sugar
Dressing:
15 g Dried shrimps *
1 inch Galangal *
3 Red chillies
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Chopped lemon grass
1 tsp Salt
3 Candle nuts *
4 tbsp Olive oil
Steps:
1. Soak dried shrimp in hot water till soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Seed cucumbers. Cut into 2 inch strips. Peel and cut carrots into 2 inch strips.
3. Seed and cut the 5 red and 3 green chillies into thin strips.
4. Cut pineapples into bit size chunks.
5. Add cucumbers, carrots, chillies and pineapples into a large bowl. Mix together white vinegar, 2 tsp salt and 4 tbsp sugar. Add to vegetables and leave to marinate.
6. Now to prepare the salad dressing. Blend dried shrimps, galangal, 3 red chillies, turmeric powder, lemon grass, salt and candle nuts in a food processor until it forms a paste. Add a little oil if mixture is too dry.
7. In a frying pan, heat up 4 tbsp olive oil. Fry mixture till fragrant, about 10 minutes.
8. Set salad dressing aside to cool.
9. Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan till golden brown.
10. Chop peanuts rather finely in a food processor.
11. Add salad dressing, sesame seeds and peanuts to the salad. Cover and keep in fridge overnight to let the taste develop. The salad lasts if kept in an air tight container.
* You can get these at any Asian grocery store.
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