Something that happens to me a lot is that I make a great standalone dish and I can’t think of a side that highlights the dish and is tasty. I always end up using bread or rice or quinoa. It makes me feel super basic. The other day I got amazing cucumbers at the farmers market so I decided that a Japanese inspired cucumber salad was something that I just have to share, the simple cucumber salad! (Adapted from Samin Nosrat)

What you’ll need: 🛒

• 5-6 cucumbers (don’t matter the type, don’t matter the size ALL ARE WELCOME!)
• 1 cup of salt (we’ll be using a lot of salt!!)
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

Method: 🔪🥒
Get your very lovely cucumbers, peel most of the skin off the cucumbers and cut them in small quarters. Put them in a bowl and salt them heavily. The salt removes most of the moisture of the cucumbers and makes them very crunchy. Once salted, put them in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Now start working on the dressing. Mix the sesame oil and vinegar into a small bowl, put it aside. After the 15 minutes drain the excess liquid from the cucumbers (use a colander) and rinse the salt from them. Leave the cucumbers in the colander for 10 minutes or so, this way all the liquid leaves the cucumbers. Mix with the dressing and add pepper, and you’re done! 

So, what’s so good about this simple cucumber salad?
The flavors are extremely clean and fresh. They brighten up almost anything. I use it to top rice bowls, as a side for roasted chicken or just on its own.