Prior to working for a Thai importer (the job that seriously kick started my love of food) I had never tried a vinegar cucumber salad, the most lovely of all salads….sweet/spicy/heat/crunchy. From my first bite I was hooked. In all its variations, I could eat a bowl of it every week. Now then…Kirk seriously doesn’t like cucumbers. So it is pretty rare that I buy them, as it is only me eating it. And while I can often find a nice bowl of it when I am out for dinner, it is never as good as when you make it yourself!
So when I saw this gorgeous box of vinegars from Marukan cross my door step recently I knew it was cucumber salad time!
I took a favorite Thai Cucumber Salad recipe of mine, and played with it. Seasoned Rice Vinegar is high in sodium, so a little goes a long way. I blended just enough in with regular rice vinegar to give it an edge to the sweetness of the sugar. As for the peppers used, seranos are easy to find and offer a spicy heat. If you can find Thai chili peppers, use them instead, although they are smaller and you will want 4 to 6. With the vegetables thinly sliced, the salad is ready within minutes.
Spicy Pickled Cukes & Radishes
Ingredients:
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 bunch radishes
- 2 serano chili peppers
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Ponzu Marinade (or fresh lime juice)
Directions:
Peel the cucumber, trim ends. Wash and trim radishes, discarding leaves. Thinly slice vegetables using the slicing side of a box grater (or a mandolin if you have one), add to a bowl.
Wearing disposable gloves, trim peppers, for mid-range heat remove and discard seeds and white ribs, for hot, leave in some of the seeds or rib. Dice up peppers and add to vegetables.
Whisk sugar, vinegars and ponzu until sugar is dissolved. Pour over vegetables, stirring gently. Cover and let marinate for at least 10 minutes. If making in advance store tightly covered in refrigerator.
FTC Disclaimer: We received complimentary products used in this recipe.