Mina's Cucumber Salad
No commentary provided, and shamelessly stolen 🤷
Author
Prep Time
Total Time
Published
Mina (NYT)
10 min
40 min
Monday, Feb 12, 2024
Ingredients
- About 2 pounds cucumbers (English or Persian, 8-10 mini, 4 medium, 2 large greenhouse)
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more "for cucumbers"
- 2 tsp granulated sugar, plus more "for cucumbers"
- 1.5 T rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- Small handful whole cilantro leaves, for garnish
- 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Recipe
Disclaimer: Mina's version skips much of the extra steps. You can just cut the cukes, mix with sauce, and move on.
- Rinse and dry the cukes. Cut crosswise into ~4" pieces. Cut in half lengthwise.
- Smash the cucumber pieces like garlic cloves, with the flat part of a knife. Break or slice diagonally into bite-size pieces. Let the seeds fall behind.
- Place the cucumber pieces in a strainer, add a big pinch of salt and sugar. Place a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the cucumbers to weight them down. Let drain for 15-30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.
- Combine salt, sugar, and rice vinegar. Stir until everything's dissolved. Stir in sesame oil and soy sauce.
- Shake cucumbers well and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Add half the dressing, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and toss. Keep adding dressing until cucumbers are well coated but not drowned. Add more pepper and garlic if needed. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds.