Cucumber salad with mint

I know a few men who recoil at the mention of mint in anything they eat. Unless it's in a mojito that's got as much alcohol as is humanly possible, they say, no mint please, thank you very much.

So I was surprised that one the occasions I made this cucumber salad. It's something like the Indian raita - a side of yoghurt with fruits and vegetables mixed in - that accompanies hot, hot curries, but quite. Unlike most raita, however, this is a tamer version that doesn't have masala or ginger added. And on these occasions, the boys came up to say oh this is very nice, I actually like it! And then I'd tell them it has mint in it, and a they'd look a little horrified. And perturbed.

But that's okay, because for me this has been the perfect potluck dish to bring to parties where the hosts have told me, please don't bring anything because we have enough food, but I bring something anyway because I need to express myself with food. I'm one of those annoying guests you should never invite.

It's light, it's healthy, and it pleases both the men and the ladies, with a subtle flavour of mint, a little garlicky heat, and the coolness of cucumber and yoghurt. Enjoy!

Recipe (serves 6-8 people)

6 medium Japanese or Lebanese cucumbers
2 tsp salt
2 cups Greek yoghurt (go for Greek because it's nice and thick)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves
1 tbsp minced fresh mint leaves (about 10-12 medium-sized leaves)
A dash of ground black pepper


So first you start with your cucumbers. Preferably Japanese or Lebanese. The ones pictured here are Japanese. The reason I choose Japanese and Lebanese is because they have less seeds, and so less water. Remember that water in cucumber salad is your personal enemy.



First we slice them up. After cutting off the bitter ends, slice each cucumber into segments. You want to slice that lengthwise, and I'd show you but I forgot to take a picture *blush*

Then you cut those cucumber halves diagonally across into little pieces, and put those in a colander. The next part is the fun bit - we need to wilt them, to get the water out. 

So add 2 tsp of salt, and mix it around a bit

Load up a ziploc bag (here I use two, as I didn't have a large one) with water, seal, and place it on top to weigh the cucumbers down. Set it over a bowl to collect the liquid. Leave that somewhere for about an hour, while you attend to other important things in life, like pestering your family to reveal just what Christmas gift they got you.

Now your dressing. Crush or finely mince your 2 medium garlic cloves. (If you aren't a big fan of garlic, bring that down to one). If you don't have a garlic press to crush garlic with, do invest in it - I can't live my lazy life without it. Add this to 2 cups of greek yoghurt, sitting in a medium bowl.

Now your mint leaves - I finely chopped (okay so not so fine, but I always tell myself no-one notices) enough mint leaves for 1 tbsp's worth. I would have preferred 2 tbsp, but there might have been a revolt. Add that to the dressing.



Add 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to your dressing, along with a dash of black pepper. You'll want to stir this mixture up. Place your dressing in the fridge, and let your cucumbers sit for an hour till they are done wilting. You might want to bother your family at this time to ask them to confess what they got you for Christmas. 

After an hour, return to your cucumbers. See? This is the liquid the cucumbers pass out. (Somehow, saying liquid passes out sounds wrong).
 

Now mix your dressing in the cucumbers, and voila!!

Yummy. Now feed that to an unsuspecting man in your life.