Cucumber salad with peanuts and sesame
Reviewed by Dr Namrata Bagaria, MBBS, MPH (Harvard)Last reviewed
This is the salad to make when there is dal and rice for dinner and nothing fresh on the table. It takes five minutes and needs nothing cooked.
The peanuts are doing the work. Roasted and crushed, they bring about seven grams of protein and enough fat to make it satisfying rather than just crunchy. Garlic and sesame do the rest.
Ingredients
- 2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into chunks or thin slices
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- A pinch of chilli flakes, optional
- Salt, only if needed
Method
- 1
Peel the cucumbers and cut them into chunks, or thin slices if you prefer. Chunks hold their crunch longer.
- 2
Crush the roasted peanuts roughly, with a rolling pin or the base of a heavy glass. Do not grind them to powder.
- 3
Mix the crushed garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and chilli flakes in the bottom of a bowl.
- 4
Add the cucumber and turn it through the dressing.
- 5
Scatter the peanuts and sesame seeds over and eat straight away, while the cucumber is still crisp.
Good to know
- Soy sauce is salty, so taste before adding any salt at all. If you watch your blood pressure, use half the soy sauce and make up the flavour with lemon.
- Raw garlic is strong. A smaller clove, or garlic warmed for a moment in the sesame oil, is gentler on the stomach.
- Cucumber releases water as it sits, so dress it when you are ready to eat rather than in advance.
- Add cubes of paneer or tofu and it becomes a light meal rather than a side dish.