Author Notes
It’s hard to beat an ice cold cucumber salad on a hot day. Unfortunately, they can be find very one dimensional at times. This light but flavor-rich salad was inspired by Deborah Madison’s recipe for Cucumber Salad with Chile and Peanuts from her book Local Flavors. It’s a bit fussier than your standard cucumber salad, but well worth the extra five minutes it will take you to mince some ginger and zest your lime. —Bob Vivant
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Ingredients
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1
large cucumber, thinly sliced
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1
large or a few small radishes, cut into matchsticks
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1
fresh hot red chile pepper, diced (Remove the seeds for a milder salad.)
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1
clove garlic, finely minced
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1/2 teaspoon
fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
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1
lime, zest and juice
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1 tablespoon
rice vinegar
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1/2 teaspoon
fish sauce
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2 teaspoons
sesame oil
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1 teaspoon
honey
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1 teaspoon
black sesame seeds
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2 tablespoons
salted and roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
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Fresh Thai basil, mint, or cilantro or a combination of them, chopped
Directions
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Place the cucumber slices, radishes, and chile pepper in a large bowl, toss to mix.
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In a small bowl whisk together the garlic, ginger, lime zest and juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil, and honey. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the cucumbers and toss until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to deepen.
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Before serving add the sesame seeds, peanuts, and herbs and toss again.
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