Cucumber Salad with Spicy and Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing
Photography by Aaron McLean.
This Asian-inspired dressing transforms the humble cucumber into a refreshing and delicious salad.
Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 large telegraph cucumber
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 spring onions, thinly sliced into long strips
1 long red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
Dressing
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup caster sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon julienne fresh ginger
2 teaspoons poppy seeds or black sesame seeds
METHOD
Lightly peel the cucumber and halve lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon and discard. Slice on the diagonal into 1cm thick pieces and place in a bowl. Toss with the salt and sugar and leave for 1 hour.
Dressing: Put the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cool. The garlic will turn a pale green colour due to the vinegar.
To serve: Drain the cucumber and pat dry with kitchen towels. Place in a serving bowl and combine with the dressing, spring onions and chilli.
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