MzzCoffeee

In this video, I made some Cucumber Salad for an Earth Day potluck at work. It is a really simple recipe. There are very few measurements to this actual recipe because of the cultural nature of Cambodian homestyle cooking. So I thought I would provide a basic framework so you can let your own ancestors tell you when to stop adding seasoning sauce! Below is the large portion, and it will last no more than three days in the fridge. I’d also like to note that nearly every family makes it differently, and almost everyone accuses the other of making it the wrong way (insert my Cambodian-American eye roll here).

Ingredients:

• 2lbs mini cucumbers
• 2 tbsp of salt (for sweating)
• 2 tbsp seasame oil
• 1 tbsp seasoning sauce (Golden Mountain is best)
• 1 tbsp Huy Fong chili garlic sauce
• 1/2tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp gochujang sauce

Instructions:

1. Cut the ends off your cucumber, then slice it. Slices should not be paper-thin nor super-thick. The idea is to get them thick enough for a nice crunch, but not so thick that you need to chew more than three times.
2. Put them in a large mixing bowl, add the salt, and then mix it through. I wear gloves and do it by hand. You can use a spatula, but I feel the hands-on approach mixes it better. Cover them and let them sweat for 15 minutes (I prefer leaving them in the fridge).
3. While the cucumbers are sweating, get out another mixing bowl. Add all the other ingredients. Whether you whisk or stir them, it doesn’t matter. Your main objective is to make sure the gochujang sauce is broken up from its thick paste form. Set it aside.
4. Get the cucumbers out and rinse the salt off. Make sure there is no salt in your mixing bowl either. Then put them back into the mixing bowl.
5. Add the sauce mixture and massage the sauce in. Make sure the cucumbers are coated. You can stir them, but I feel it is not as effective.
6. Cover the cucumber salad and refrigerate it overnight. You can skip this step if you like and eat it right away. However, it tastes infinitely better if you let those flavors get to know each other.

This dish can easily be made vegan if you make sure to check the ingredients in the sauces you buy. Basically, don’t buy anything with bonito flakes, anchovies, sardines, or fish sauce mixed in. My recipe and the products I use are vegan.

Feel free to add whatever veggies you want to the salad. It’s pretty common to add carrots. Some people like the added heat of a cut-up Thai chili. Sliced garlic also goes well with it.