Last weekend I went to a wedding on the Lao side of our family. I took advantage of the trip to learn how to make spicy Lao style cucumber salad from my cousin Kristi’s husband, Sie.
Ingredients
3 medium cucumbers
5-6 Asian hot peppers
1 garlic clove
1 ½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
3 small tomatoes
2-3 TBS fish sauce
1-2 lime wedges
This salad can also be made with green papaya. If using papaya, peel it first. The cucumbers only need to be peeled if the skin is really thick.
Using a sharp knife chop the cucumber rapidly and shallowly in a lengthwise motion, only cutting about a ¼ inch deep. Once the cucumber has been cut all the way around slice off the thin strips and repeat. Continue until you get to the seeds. If the seeds are mature, don’t use them.
Sie demonstrates his knife technique. Watch your fingers!
Close up on the cucumber chopping.
Slice off the long thin pieces and then chop another layer.
Set aside the cucumber and add the peppers, garlic, sugar and salt to the mortar. Use the pestle to thoroughly crush the mix. Make sure that you crush these ingredients at the same time as the sugar and salt to help prevent the peppers from flying all over the place when they are smashed.
The hot peppers and garlic about to be smashed with sugar and salt with a mortar and pestle.
Add the cucumber slices and crush some more, but with more of a mixing action than a crushing one. Add the sliced tomatoes, lime juice and fish sauce to taste and mix a bit more.
Serve immediately and prepare to cry tears of joy from the hot peppers.
The finished salad, spicy and delicious.