Asian Cucumber Salad

By -
This is a simple summer time salad that I made in anticipation of summer here in San Francisco. Coming from Miami, I really do not have an experience with distinct seasons of the year as you have them here. You see, we are only used to hot, hotter and humid weather down in Miami. So, the move from Florida to California didn't just change 'everything' else as I knew it but also my appetite and appreciation for season specific food! Anyway, I had tasted this salad at a local Japanese restaurant and instantly fell in love with it. Yesterday with an excess of cucumbers in my refrigerator, I looked up online to see if I could find a recipe to recreate the magic. I found something similar here and had to mix it up right away to satiate my summer-food-seeking appetite!

To make the salad, you will need 1 big cucumber (I used those cute little mini cukes), peeled length-wise in stripes so as to get a layer of peel next to an unpeeled section. Once peeled, your cuke will look zebra patterned. For the dressing, you will need 1/4th cup rice vinegar, juice from 1 large lemon, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. Also required are 1 tsp grated ginger and 1 tablespoon dry roasted white sesame seeds.

Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl and stir well to dissolve salt and sugar. Add the grated ginger. In a large salad mixing bowl, add diced cucumber and the dressing and toss. Finish by sprinkling the roasted sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately. The roasted white sesame seeds really add the kick, giving the cucumber an awesome "bite" in every spoon! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Welcome to our food blog. Please feel free to leave your comments or suggestions for improvements in a recipe. If you try any of the recipes here, please send us your feedback or pictures and we will post it on the blog.

Popular posts from this blog

Vegetarian Thai Red Curry

By -
Image
Looks like I am on a curry spree! One of my favorite cuisines on this planet, even talking about it makes my mouth water...slurp! I suddenly thought about Thai food today and luckily I had all the basic ingredients in my pantry so tonight's dinner was the Thai Red Curry! Aside, I have always been wary of using others' recipes and have had many discussions with my co-blogger and other close friends about copyright and related topics. While we have come across people who steal pictures from the original recipe and claim it as their own (yes, unfortunately such creeps do exist!), I have also seen bloggers who take copyright to a whole new level by picking open fights on blogs and "walls" (we definitely try to stay away from this kind!).I came across a useful  article   today on foodblogforum that talks about recipe-attribution-etiquettes, I thought it might be worth sharing here. After that quick sanity check, back to my red curry :) ...
Read more

Quinoa Upma

By -
Image
Upma is a comfort food in South India. Rava, semiya, rice, bread - no matter what your base ingredient is - making upma can never be difficult and a basic upma is always a Quick Fix Recipe! This time I decided to make upma with a new ingredient, something I have been wanting to try for a long time now - Quinoa!! Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah ) is a very-high-protein grain thus making it an unusually complete protein source especially for vegetarians and vegans. The grain is native to South America and was once considered the "mother grain" by the Incas. Click here for more information and for the nutritional benefits of Quinoa. Quinoa may not be available in your regular grocery store, look for it in a health food store. I picked up mine from Whole Foods. Ingredients: Quinoa - 1/2 cup Garlic - 2 medium sized pods, chopped 1/2 inch size Onion - 1/4 of a big onion, chopped 1/2 inch size Vegetables (carrot, peas, beans) - 1/4 cup, finely chopped (I was not fully prepared w...
Read more

Kesari to kick off Navaratri

By -
Image
Happy navaratri everyone! I am sure most of our readers need no introduction to this festival but for all others,  navaratri ( "nava" means 9, "ratri" means night ) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the 9 forms of Shakti  - the female divine force in Hinduism. While the festival is celebrated all over India, each region and each community has it's own traditions. From Durga Puja in the east to Kolu in the south, from Gharba in the west to Dussehra in the north, the rituals are quite varied!  Our Kolu for this year is all ready and I decided to make a sweet dish to mark the beginning of navaratri today. Maha and I are veterans at combined cooking through the phone, 3000 miles apart! We usually pick South Indian dishes that are complicated or simple/common recipes that we haven't tried or been able to master yet. Our pick for today was Kesari.  Kesari (or  sojji ) is also known as Sheera in Maharashtra and Sooji ka Halwa in North India. K...
Read more