If you needed another reason to add to the list of why you’d probably never want to be cornered at a party with me, I should tell you I’m more than a normal level of fascinated by the intersection of tomatoes and cucumbers in salads around the world. And I want to talk about it.
Because, seriously, can we go on a cucumber-tomato salad summer world tour? From the classic Greek salad (horiatiki), to the Palestinian/Arab/Israeli salads in their infinite variations, their close cousins, the shepherd’s salads (shirazi in Iran, çoban salatası in Turkey, shopska in Macedonia and Bulgaria), plus the kachumber in India and all of the variants, like fattoush and I’m going to need one of each. I was particularly struck by what Ottolenghi said in the intro to the fattoush salad in his Jerusalem cookbook, that freshly chopped vegetable salads like this are served with every meal and that friends visiting London often complained of feeling like they ate ‘unhealthily’ because there weren’t fresh salad with each meal.
This only relates to Ottolenghi tangentially, however. After drooling over this entire Middle Eastern take on a proper English garden party in the New York Times last weekend, it was the cucumber salad that in particular stuck with me, and its spiced yogurt dressing. It made me think of cucumber raita, that great cooling Indian condiment. And it made me want to upend the proportions, that is, instead of a lot of yogurt burying a little bit of cucumber, a great pile of cucumber and a smaller amount of yogurt dressing. Tomato isn’t the most common inclusion in cucumber raitas, although I’ve had it before, but it works wonderfully here, and whether you make this as a side dish to a Wednesday dinner or bring it to a picnic or barbecue or beach this weekend, I don’t think this will be the last time you make it this summer.
One year ago: Swirled Berry Yogurt Popsicles and Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes
Two years ago: Carrot Salad with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas
Three years ago: Two Classic Sangrias
Four years ago: Tzatziki Potato Salad
Five years ago: Strawberry Summer Cake
Six years ago: Braided Lemon Bread, Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta and Mint and Rustic Rhubarb Tarts
Seven years ago: Almond Raspberry Layer Cake, Asparagus Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta and Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
Eight years ago: 30 Ways To Be A Good Guest
Nine years ago: Cellophane Noodle Salad with Roast Pork and Coconut Pinkcherry Yogurt
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Parsley Pecorino Biscuits
1.5 Years Ago: Crispy Sweet Potato Roast
2.5 Years Ago: Cauliflower with Brown Butter Crumbs
3.5 Years Ago: Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
4.5 Years Ago: Dijon-Braised Brussels Sprouts
Cucumber Yogurt Raita Salad
Think of this as cucumber raita with the proportions inverted — a lot of cucumber, a smaller amount of yogurt dressing — but it’s not overly technical, as there are ingredients here not common in raita.
Notes:
- Feel free to play around with this salad; each seed option will provide a different flavor; pomegranate arils might be a punchy alternative to tomatoes (perhaps 1/2 cup to start, add more if desired).
- Do not mix the dressing with the salad until the end; it becomes looser after sitting a while. You’ll have more dressing than you need, however, so you can always bring extra and stir in more before you share it, to refresh it a little.
- I don’t generally include notations in recipes that you should have cleaned your vegetables because I bet you’ve got that down already, but as this is one of my axes to grind, may I beg you to not forget to wash those plastic-wrapped cucumbers well? I’m always a little horrified by the color of a white towel used to wipe it dry after rinsing it; the plastic makes them seem cleaner than they are.
- This made a delicious dinner last night with some roasted chicken and potato wedges (cooked, if we’re being honest, in the roasted chicken drippings). If I didn’t have chicken around, we might have had this with toast pita or naan wedges and maybe even stirred in some chickpeas for more protein.
- 1 cup (227 grams) plain, full-fat yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Juice of half a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon minced mild or hot fresh chile (I used a jalapeno)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, black or yellow mustard seeds or nigella seeds (I used black mustard seeds)
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, divided
- Kosher salt to taste
- 2 long, English-style cucumbers (2 pounds total)
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 medium red onion, chopped small
Dressing
Assembly
Make the dressing by placing yogurt in a medium bowl and using a very fine grater to grate the garlic and ginger over it. Stir in sugar, lemon, chile, seeds, half of the mint and cilantro and season it with salt to taste. Set aside until you’re ready to serve the salad.
Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then each half three more times into long wedge-shaped pieces (i.e. 8 long pieces per cucumber). Cut them into 1 to 1 1/2-inch lengths on a diagonal and add them to a big bowl. Pile tomatoes and onion on top and when you’re ready to eat, mix half of the dressing with the salad. Sprinkle with remaining mint and cilantro and serve with extra yogurt dressing on the side.
Man, I will join you at that party and talk to you all night about cucumber-tomato salads. I am THERE. Also: nigella seeds for the win. Poor neglected nigella.
I also am obsessed with cucumber and tomato salads come summertime. But sometimes I cheat on cucumbers with grilled zucchini. The warm veg and the raw tomato are a really refreshing combo with a tart vinaigrette.
This looks great! One thought for you Deb – mustard seeds taste INFINITELY more rich and flavorful when popped in oil. This is one of the ingredients that gives traditional raita (at least the South Indian version) its flavor. Warm a small amount of oil over medium-high heat in the smallest pot you have – a butter warmer works well – and pour your black mustard seeds in once it’s hot. When they begin to sizzle and pop, remove from heat, let cool, then add to your salad.
Thanks for sharing this info – will definitely do this!
I like everything with cucumber and yoghurt! Thanks for the recipe :)
This looks delish! I was thinking to add a sprinkle of sumac on top for an added hit of color and flavor. Feta would also be a good topping if I was going to serve this with veggie burgers.
In my household we have a running joke – we make Tzatziki on Monday, and then by Tuesday, when we are cooking Indian, it mysteriously transforms to Raita.
It’s really frustrating to be a subscriber to your newsletter and like your facebook page but have no way to print the recipes I see on facebook.
Evelyn — There’s a “Print” link at the bottom of each recipe, before the comments begin that will take you to a photo- and comment-free print template. Is there something else you were looking for?
I want to save it to my hard drive, I wish the ‘print’ function to me to a page I could copy&paste from.
When you go to “print” pick the PDF and it will save to your hard drive.
I’m looking at this with my daughter and we’re both oohing and saying, “Ah that looks SO good!” and then “And THAT looks SO good!”
Gotta try it.
Never say no to a kid (even a big one) who wants vegetables.
I can vouch for all the salads in the NYT Ottolenghi piece over the weekend: they were all excellent. As soon as I saw the article, I ran home, made sure I had all the ingredients and invited some friends over. Every single salad recipe was a winner. I can’t vouch for the lamb or the cake, however.
Typo police… “each half three more times into long wedge-shaped pieces (i.e. 8 long pieces per cucumber)” should give you 6 long pieces per cucumber, no? (Sorry!)
Maryse42 — I thiiink three cuts = four pieces per half, so 8. But I don’t get a lot of sleep these days and might be missing the obvious.
Toast the cumin seeds in a pan until they darken and smell toasty, cool, then grind in a mortar and add to the yogurt. The scent of roasted cumin is delicious and the results amazing. Everyone wants to know what spices I used and is surprised it’s that simple.
Is Greek yogurt a good substitute for whole milk or full fat yogurt? Is there a big difference in taste? (Never had whole milk/full fat before and can’t always find it at the store).
Tori — Yes, I use Greek yogurt here.
Crushed peanut. That’s what this wants, trust me. Or rather, trust my mother and other people who make something very similar in western India. Over there, the proportion is indeed towards lots of vegetables and only a bit of yogurt. It is in northern India (and restaurants serving North Indian food) that the salad is yogurt-heavy.
I somewhat agree with KayN above, if only because that’s how I’ve always seen it done. Mustard or cumin seeds are rarely used raw, though I’ll give it a shot next time. Traditionally, they are popped in hot oil (tadka/chaunk) before being pored on top of a salad such as this. Fried curry leaves or stuffed and dried chilies that are fried are also common additions. And I’ve never seen ginger and garlic, though I’m sure they are delicious. (Will try that too sometime.)
Omitting the yogurt and just having lemon/lime and peanuts is common, as is adding fresh (or frozen) coconut. Yup, plenty of variations, each more delicious than the last, and that’s before we even leave India.
Such a long comment for such a simple salad is evidence of how much I like it :) Thanks for highlighting it Deb!
Maryse42 — I read that sentence twice myself, but it is in fact correct. Cutting an object n times generally leads to n+1 pieces :)
Oh and while I was typing that I was eating a salad with cucumber, tomato, spring onion and avocado with dried basil, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. I rest my case :)
I love how you cut the cucumbers and tomatoes. They look so inviting – sometimes I’m a bit too haphazard with my chopping!
I had no idea you could eat nigella seeds! They grow all over my yard. So fun to find i have inadvertently been growing some spices :-)
I have another cucumber/tomato salad that you should try. My family is from Slovenia and they eat this salad every day in the summer. Chop nice, juicy tomatoes (this is key) and cucumbers, add some red onion and drizzle it with plenty of pumpkin seed oil. No acid is necessary; the tomato juice is sufficient. Add salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients and let it sit for a few minutes before eating. The best part of the salad is the juice, so get a loaf of sturdy bread to dip into it. I’ve been eating this salad since I was a child and I never get over it.
I forgot to mention that the above-mentioned salad is perfectly fine with just tomatoes/red onion if that’s all you have in the house.
So good to know, as I have someone with an aversion to cucumbers!
Re — Toasting the spices, I completely agree and it’s pretty silly that I didn’t mention this because I didn’t want an extra step to scare people off.
Deb, you couldn’t scare us off with a stick. .. :-D
Cucumber and tomato is one of my favourite combinations too. This salad looks amazing – the yogurt dressing convinced me I definitely need to try it soon. Cucumber, tomato, and yogurt = perfection.
Super fresh and delicious. I usually just use olive oil and vinegar in salads (usually cider or balsamic one).. the Italian way. Yogurt is healthy and I really like this salad. I love popping over to your blog as I always get inspired by your recipes. Thank you!
And now we’re all dead from the cutenes that is that beach pic.
Nigella sativa is the spice, nigella damascena (love in the mist) is what grows in flower gardens. They look to be related but I’m not sure about eating the local garden variety.
More of the world needs to adopt the salad for breakfast thing that Israel has. That’s what I miss most after visiting family there.
We have a cucumber and tomato salad in Azerbaijan called choban salad. Choban means shepherd in Azerbaijani. It’s said that the salad was good for shepherds to snack on. It lasts in warm weather and is filling. Tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, basil, cilantro and dill. The dressing is lemon, oil and vinegar. Variations add peppers and soft cheese.
there is a greek diner in my town that serves this exact salad atop a very crisp pita, with the option of grilled chicken on top. raita served on the side. i could eat it nearly every day.
Its so funny to see this . . . I have been making a very similar salad to this one for years (minus the seeds, which I will try next time!). When I had the idea to make raita into a salad I googled to search for recipes and was shocked to not find one. I think this is the perfect accompaniment to chicken tikka masala, one of my favorites. Your site is my first stop for inspiration!
Raita is such a lovely option. I like it with pita chips especially!
Cucumber raita is one of my favorite things ever! My mom makes it super thick, so it kinda looks like a salad anyway. She usually grates the cucumber and adds a fair amount of cumin powder and a hint of chaat masala. Really refreshing and delicious! While I do prefer the grated version, I’ll give the chopped version a try since I’m too lazy to grate :)
I think I would be happy to be bailed up by you at a party! Love cucumber. I had the most trouble growing cucumbers this summer as the cucumber plants were eaten, mysteriously. I grew cucumber and zucchini until they had about six leaves before planting them in the ground about 40 or each disappeared, finally I was successful with two cucumbers and three zucchini plants surviving. I was almost sorry. I had such a glut of fruit, along with a million tomatoes that grew on one plant that originated from my washing up water thrown on the gardenias. I grew eight tomato plants of various types, some heirloom varieties, however the 20 kilos of tomatoes that turned into sauce for pasta int he freezer were almost exclusively from that one tomato plant that survived/thrived from the washing up water. I made so many refrigerator pickles from your recipe. Sadly in the last month or so I have had to buy zucchini and I think cucumbers will be next not he list the plant is looking rather sad now. Thanks for the great recipes and I eat salads all year round it doesn’t get that cold here, Bowral Australia. Keep up the GREAT work.
I am so with you on the cucumber-tomato tour. For the last couple of summers, I’ve eaten this version with feta and a kicky basil vinaigrette (which sounds boring, but somehow makes me think I’ve never experienced basil with enough vinegar before).
I love raita, and I love this idea of inverting the proportions to make it the sort of thing one can eat with a fork. I’m so making this when I get my hands on some decent looking tomatoes.
Are you using greek yogurt or regular? Thought it looked pretty thick in the picture for just regular but wanted to be sure.
Patricia — I’m using Greek, full-fat yogurt. (Fage)
Oven fry recipe please!!!!
Tabitha — My official oven fries recipe is here but these were just yukon gold wedges, roasted until they’re very dark, usually 30 minutes on first side, usually 10 on the second, 400 degrees.
We love raita here; I will definitely try this!
“Because, seriously, can we go on a cucumber-tomato salad summer world tour?”
Without hesitation, yes. This is why we are already friends who haven’t met yet.
Here is another reason we are friends who have not yet met: A friendly person at my workplace approached me this afternoon with the following question, “Do you want an empanada?” I am fairly certain that you, like I did, would find that to be one of the most lovely sentences ever stated.
What Ottolenghi said in Jerusalem about chopping parsley charms me. Fattoush and tabbouleh take turns turning my head in the summer. I am going to try your delicious recipe soon. Thanks for always giving us something to dream about.
Slight tangent: I combined cucumber, chopped apple and black beans in my lunch thermos the other day and had kind of a, “thank you, refrigerator!” salad for lunch which was remarkably tasty. The cucumber flavor is so appealing.
This is every day of summer for me. I throw in finely chopped onions in good measure and it is called ‘Dahi ki Cutney’ or Yoghurt Chutney in Hyderabad in India. We usually lightly roast and crush the seeds before adding except mustard which goes in unroasted. Oh and a dash of mustard oil adds a surprisingly wonderful kick that dijon could never hope to achieve. Sorry, I have my own obsession with this particular salad
Can I recommend Madhur Jaffrey Salat? (In her Vegetarian India: A Journey Through the Best of Indian Home Cooking)
Red onion, sliced in half moons
Tomatoes, chopped
Cucumber, roughly sliced [Skin on, unless super tough]
Sunflower oil (about a tablespoon)
Mustard seeds (2 teaspoons, any colour)
Salt
Chilli powder (I used a pinch of ground chipotle)
Lemon/lime juice (roughly double the oil i.e. 2 tablespoons)
Place chopped veges in a wide bowl. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they have started to pop, pour the oil over the veges. At this point you can leave it for a little while until you add the final dressing, or just go ahead and dress it. Mix salt, chilli and citrus, toss over veges. Serve.
I love making raita, and this is a great idea — to change up the proportions. it also reminds me of one of my favorite summer salads — chopped cucumber, tomatoes (same kinds as your recipe), red or green bell pepper (or other chile — optional), sliced scallions, quartered, pitted kalamatas, capers, lots of roughly-chopped Italian parsley, all in bowl with a lemon-olive oil dressing. crumble in good amount of French sheep’s feta (the French stuff, esp. Valbreso, has SO much delicious and deep lemony, sheep-y flavor — ricotta salata works perfectly, too). salt and pepper to taste (wait till the end to salt, what with that feta), and WOW! I can eat this one with anything, but especially stuffed into a homemade whole wheat pita with some creamy, smooth homemade hummus. thanks for giving me another cucumber salad recipe for my repertoire!
Yum! But why bother to peel the ginger? I stopped peeling it years ago, and do not notice any difference in taste… And it is certainly less work… I keep my ginger in the freezer- I grate it frozen on a box grater straight from the freezer.. Works wonderfully…Then just pop it back in the freezer…. No more limp,moldy ginger.and I most always have ginger available…
O gosh, it looks sooooooooooo delicious! I love cucumber so much! Can we use something else to substitute the ginger? I am a little allergic to it!
Arianna — You can skip the ginger, there’s enough else going on here that you don’t have to miss it.
Tori, there is a vast difference between low/no fat Greek yogurt and full-fat Greek. Find it and try it if you can, the fat makes it a full and rounded flavor, not just a one-dimensional sharp tang. We use Cabot whole milk Greek yogurt as itself and as sour cream, and I’m thinking that soon we will try it very lightly sweetened as a stand-in for creme fraiche with summer fruits and pies.
Deb, does this salad get at all mucilaginous after it sits a while? I once made what I thought was going to be a terrific carrot salad, with mint and cilantro in a cinnamon lemon dressing, and when we went to eat it, it looked like it had a bad cold. I blamed the mint. Has this ever happened to you?
Parsley — Ew, no, I promise. In fact, I make a note here about not mixing the dressing until you’re ready to eat it and yet I ended up actually really liking the look of it and the photo up top is of the leftover salad that had been sitting IN the dressing overnight.
What?! I thought you hated ginger! One of the many inspiring things about you is the fact that you find ways to overcome your food aversions (I’ve been with you since you hated kale – and now look at the kale archives!). I’m not sure this gospel is one that really needs to be spread (there are more important causes, after all), but I guess because I hate narrowmindedness in general, I like the thought of people being more open to continuing to try to like foods they don’t like instead of just saying “I hate anchovies” their whole.damn.life. Really? Have you ever had a boquerone with a beer while sitting in a beachside cafe in Spain? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Molly — Thank you and you’re absolutely right; I’m obsessed with getting over foods I’m not into. There’s CILANTRO in here. And, ginger isn’t even traditional in raita but I wanted it here. With ginger, my dislike is more mild; I get actually annoyed when I bite into a slice of it in anything but I adore it sauteed with garlic or onions or among spices in any cuisine that uses it. Just not solo. Cilantro is similar. Also on the being-less-picky front, I’ve officially embraced clams and recently discovered that I like octopus. Octopus! And I have a jar of anchovies in my fridge. I’m all grownup.
Beautiful. Husband and I love fresh chopped salads! I can almost smell this one since the photos are so gorgeous :)
(And I’d love to be stuck in a corner with you.)
Re 11 & 20, you’re right, Deb: 3 cuts = 4 pieces (x2 = 8). As a frequent typo-pointer-outer I just wanted to weigh in on your side this time. Maybe the commenter thought 3 pieces (2 cuts)?
omg yes, cucumber salads all day every day. i’m hoping this year we get some good “pickling” cukes – those are my favorite but last year they never seemed to really show up in the stores, and the few that did were bitter and went bad very quickly in my fridge, so disappointing. wonder what the deal was.
anyway, love this idea. i love raita as-is…for dipping. so the proportions make sense. but reinvented as a salad? yes please. i wonder if salting and letting the cukes hang out under a water filled ziploc would help with runniness. (like i do for cucumber salad, or if that only works with thin sliced cuke coins, or maybe it was another step you didn’t want to suggest as it might take this out of the simple salad category for some.) also intrigued by the mustard seeds, though i already have the cumin ones since i’ve made the sheet pan tikka twice in one month…so good!
and yes, you were right about the three cuts yielding four pieces :) (if you wanted to change it though, you could simply say “Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then quarter each half into long wedge-shaped pieces.”)
Right with you on the obsession and very excited to try this! But one depressing observation … while I haven’t tried all the variants you mentioned, one chief difference with at least a couple is that tomatoes and cucumbers taste entirely different there … US East Coast (where I live) versions never get there, alas, excepting random summer moments, and not even every year.
Oh this looks fantastic!
I discovered this great eggplant salad last summer…now I want to combine them together. Maybe your yoghurt sauce on top of the warm eggplant….
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fried-eggplant-salad-feta
I absolutely want to talk with you at parties about tomato and cucumber salads. Absolutely.
@Parsley – FWIW, it sounds like a cinnamon issue to me. Cinnamon does get slimy when wet. (Great for the gooey filling in a cinnamon roll, not so great for salad dressing!)
@Parsley and deb: Thank you! I’m going to hunt down full fat Greek yogurt ASAP.
Hi Deb, just wanted to say that i LOVE that you’re doing the “for the other part of the world” past recipes thing. I’m from Argentina and really enjoy your blog, but i found myself constantly craving things that were out of season (try finding a good tomato here in July! or eating a soup in January, it’s just not going to happen..!). So there, GRACIAS! :)
cucumber’s are not my middle name (–it’s Louise … if that matters …) ~ but some cucumber recipes tempt me more than others. and your dressing here is might do the trick for me. kinda want to stick a finger in it now for a licksie!!
For my mom’s bday dinner, I’m going to make this with your roasted chickpeas recipe!
This really does need full fat yogurt. I used my homemade yogurt that is not full fat and it was too thin. On the positive side, I added chopped black olives and felt it was a good addition. Thanks, Deb!
Strauss Creamery has newly started making a full-fat Greek Yogurt that has a really fresh taste that’s missing in other brands. The container is white with red letters, very plain-looking. Their plain full-fat yogurt has that same fresh taste. Brown Cow also makes a full-fat Greek yogurt. Out here on the West coast they don’t usually call it “full-fat”. If the label doesn’t say “low fat” or “fat free”, it’s just regular yogurt. The taste is so much better than low-fat yogurt, it’s worth it to just eat less quantity, if you’re counting calories.
Thanks for your hard work, Deb!
It looks too delicious, yummy.
it’s looking so good..
Thank you Deb. I am going on a “90 Day Feast” (sounds better than DIET). My feast will include increasing vegetables to five servings a day. Summer is such a great time for feasting on delicious fresh vegetables.
i would be more than happy to chat to you for hours about tomatoes etc. the variety here in France is amazing!
@Linda in comments #18-19: That sounds absolutely delicious, and brings back fond memories of my time in southern Austria, where I first tried Kürbiskernöl. Thank you for the related recipe tip!
I totally agree about the worldwide love of a tomato-cucumber marriage. What a gastronomic coincidence (maybe not). Also, this combo appears in Central America and the Hispanic Caribbean–and perhaps elsewhere in the Americas that I’m unaware of!
Dear Deb
We made your salad not once but TWICE yesterday, as well as one rhubarb almond cake.. we simply loved the salad so much that we had to make it for lunch and dinner:-) So flavourfull! And the cake – pure delight.. Thanks again for everything you do here!!
All your meatless dishes are so good, and I make your stuff constantly. You turned us onto Cafe Gitane when you featured their avocado toast. Would you please, please, please try to develop a replica of their couscous with the roasted veggies and mound of creamy hummus???
Deb, when you are writing the recipes would it be a lot more trouble to add metric measurements? I know most Americans will only be convinced to try it for baking but I get the impression you have such an international readership maybe others would appreciate it, too?
That is the only thing that I miss as a European since there is always that extra conversion step before I can get dinner ready (and you know how week-nights go!)
I made this and it was DEElicious! I really liked it fresh like you said because evry bite had this amazing flavor mix. The next day it had mellowed into a nice but less exciting flavor.
Deb, this sounds perfect for summer! Looking forward to trying it!
I’m so embarrassed… Yes, 3 cuts = 4 pieces. D’oh! (You’d think I should know how to do math… I work in financial services!)
Yum! I paired this with Aarti’s spicy beef vindaloo recipe. I diced the cucumbers instead, and I wish I hadn’t. I didn’t like their soggy texture. I double the amount of golden raisins, and I still felt like there wasn’t enough. They are so sweet & tasty! I will add a lot more next time.
Simple, tasty, perfect with curry. What could be better? (A cold beer to go with all, perhaps. I love this recipe. Thanks for sharing
Such a terrific salad! It perfectly complimented a curry. I can’t wait for garden cucumbers and cherry tomatoes to arrive so that this can go into immediate and frequent summer rotation.
Oh joy! I am excited to have this for lunch. Thank you for your beautiful recipes and witty approach to everything.
“Summer Salad” (aka chunks of fresh cucumber and tomato thrown together naked in a bowl) was ubiquitous in Georgia, whether at home or in restaurants. My favorite variation added some tang and spice with a ground walnut vinaigrette http://www.georgiancook.com/recipe/tomato-cucumber-salad-walnut-sauce/
I very rarely comment on any blog but I’ve been meaning to write you a “thank you” note so here goes…….you are an incredible writer, communicator, informative and inovator blogger….gifted, inspiring and just plain knowledgeable in the world of delicious food! You are my “go to” gal when looking for any inspirational ideas for any occasion. I’m passionate about The entire world of gastronomy, both past and present, simple and complicated preparations and of course the fun and excitement of sharing my table with friends and family. I read incessantly about food and restaruants, wine and the such. I cook sousvide, smoke, BBQ, bake…..anything that gets me inspired and will do so hopefully until the day I expire! Thank you for the job you do, time you spend doing it while taking care of your wee ones and husband. Hope you are always in my life!!! Whoa! But I look forward to every post and actually make most recipes! Sincerely…your full time reader!
This is totally gonna be dinner! And it’s gonna be a great way to use up some leftover avocado and grilled haloumi cheese!
Tori,
I made this last night (or a version with the spices I had in my kitchen) with non-fat Fage greek yogurt, because that’s what we generally buy so that’s what we had, and while I am sure I was missing the deliciousness of full-fat, it was still delicious and I am looking forward to eating leftovers for lunch (added some chickpeas to make it more filling)
Thanks for yet another great recipe: I now have a cucumber induced stomach ache, but I showed enough restraint to put some aside for lunch tomorrow.
This looks beautiful! I’m going to make this the night before our picnic – hope the dressing will be more flavourful the next day!
Thank you for your good and useful content. I would be happy if you visit my tourism blog!Conditions for traveling to Georgia with and without a tour.
Made this last night for dinner and had leftovers for lunch! I love tzatziki/raita so this was an automatic win. I wish I’d read the comments first about doing the spices in hot oil! I’ll just have to make it again!
Notes – I added avocado, definitely went well. I also did not mix the sauce in the bowl so that we could keep leftovers for lunch without it getting soggy. Just poured it over top on my plate.
Meanwhile, I am fascinated with the diverse iterations of soured dairy + cucumber salads. I grew up with a german(?) version – sliced cucumber, green onion, spur cream, white vinegar. Then learned of tzatziki, and then raita. As someone who has studied food and culture plus worked in restaurants for years, these are the conversations I dream of lol. How did this combination co-evolve?
I used a spoon to take out the cucumber seeds and surrounding membranes (making a canoe out of each halved half) before slicing lengthwise again and cutting into chunks, which helped immensely win the wateriness. This was delicious. I left out the onions because I don’t like them raw, popped the cumin seeds in grapeseed oil before adding, and put in some chickpeas to bulk it up. It is perfection. The first thing I have felt excited about either making or eating since pregnancy nausea hit 7weeks ago. I may spend the next 27 weeks subsisting on this salad!
I used yellow mustard seeds and maybe a generous dose of jalapeno. It was pretty spicy. I like the idea but am not sure what all the fuss is about.
Pretty…. a must-try this summer
This is fantastic. I could only find cumin seeds at the regular grocery store near my apartment, so that’s what I used. After reading some other comments, I opted to toast the cumin seeds and coarsely grind them. Toasting the seeds added extra oomf to an already wonderfully fragrant dressing. I have been using the extra dressing on sadwiches– great with vegetarian sandwiches, or in lieu of mayo to bind a chicken salad sandwich. So wonderful!
Generally a large fan of SK, but though this salad was nice (vegetables with garlicky yoghurt is always nice), I was a bit underwhelmed. Cool idea to grate the ginger and garlic into the yoghurt though.
As a Greek, this is similar to my go-to salad. The only major difference is I like to sprinkle feta on it – but it has to be of the Arahova variety. Nice and salty and pairs perfectly.
This salad really is well suited for the summer. Tried it and loved it. For the ones who liked this recipe I would also recommend them to try with beets instead of cucumber and tomato. I have discovered this recipe at a cooking class and I can tell it is perfect as an appetizer. I am working for an events company in London that lists many food/cooking related events and I love going to those, It keeps me inspired when making home-cooked meals.
I made this last night with mustard seeds and it was fabulous! Leftovers held up perfectly as well so thank you for a great recipe!!
I made this salad last night to go along with some curried vegetables I made and it was perfect. The salad itself is so simple but that yogurt dressing is to die for, I could eat it on its own without the salad.
I used leftover yogurt dressing from this recipe as an overnight marinade for chicken. It’s amazing on the vegetables you listed above and also on chicken the next day! Thank you for such well-rounded, well balanced recipes!
https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Cucumber-Yogurt-Raita-Salad-1678013
same picture.
It’s a site that pulls together recipes from other sites, like this one. They credit it here.
This salad looks so refreshing. I am trying to follow WW guidelines. If I substitute nonfat Greek yogurt, this dish would be zero points. Would it also be zero taste? I know that the full fat yogurt would be much more delicious, but would the dressing break down (or have other problems) if made with nonfat yogurt? Thanks!
I haven’t made a lot of dressings with nonfat yogurt, so I’m not sure how it thins out. Do let us know if you try it!
May I ask if you have the macros (carbs,
Fats, protein) or nutrition facts for this meal? I’d love to add it to my weekly meals ❤️
Tip: add grilled eggplant. I make a weird mashup of this recipe and the grilled eggplant with tomatoes here: https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/07/eggplant-with-yogurt-and-tomato-relish/. It’s one of my favourite things to eat in August.
(The salad is also delicious as written!! But sometimes I like combining Deb’s recipes into fun new things according to my tastes.)
Thank you for your good and useful content.