I love crunchy, sweet, cucumbers, especially Keiki Cukes. Their size is perfect, they are seedless, and snappy. I discovered this Jamie Oliver recipe on Leite’s Culinaria and I was smitten.
Lemon grass adds a fragrant note to the dressing. It pairs well with the ginger and rice vinegar. As the editor-in-chief of Leite’s Culinaria, Renée Schettler Rossi says, this is not the most traditional Japanese recipe despite Jamie Oliver’s title. And, as Renée says further, “I’m not holding that against it.”
I diced up a bit of cucumber and sliced carrots into pretty florets to add texture and color to the silky sliced cucumbers. A generous handful of torn mint and a little cilantro sprinkled over the cucumbers add that special brightness to the salad. For those of you who are not fond of cilantro you may leave it out, but don’t skip the mint.
Japanese Cucumber Salad
Adapted from Leite’s Culinaria
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
3/4 – 1 pound Japanese, Keiki, or other small, seedless cucumbers
1/4 small carrot, sliced very thin (optional)
Handful of fresh mint, torn into small pieces
Handful of fresh cilantro, torn into small pieces
Dressing:
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon finely minced lemongrass
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preparation
Dressing:
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Mix until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in oil. Add ginger, lemongrass, and salt & pepper to taste.
Thinly slice cucumbers lengthwise, using a mandoline, handheld slicer, or potato peeler, making thin ribbons. Lay cucumber slices on paper towels and lightly pat dry. Slice a small portion of a cucumber into small cubes, about 1/4 cup (I use the leftover edges of the cucumber I sliced into ribbons, omitting any seedy flesh). Finely slice carrot if using. Lay cucumber ribbons on a plate and diced cucumbers on edges of plate along with the carrots. Sprinkle with torn mint and cilantro, and drizzle a generous amount of dressing over the salad.
***The dressing can be made a day in advance and the vegetables may be cut a few hours before serving.