Thai Fresh Cucumber Salad (Taeng Kwa Brio Wan)
Submitted by juanita100
Crisp Thai cucumber salad (taeng kwa brio wan) with paper-thin slices in a sweet-sour vinegar dressing with red onion and chile flakes. A cool, refreshing side dish for any Thai meal.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis is the little side dish that shows up next to nearly every Thai meal, and once you learn the trick to making it right, you’ll keep it on permanent rotation.
Paper-thin cucumber slices get generously salted and left to sit for 30 minutes, then wrung out in a towel until bone dry.
That step is everything. It pulls out the excess water so the cucumbers stay snappy and actually absorb the sweet-sour dressing instead of diluting it.
The dressing is dead simple: sugar water, white vinegar, minced red onion, scallions, and a hit of dried red pepper flakes.
Chill it and serve alongside curries, grilled meats, satay, or fried rice.
Kitchen Tips
- Slice the cucumbers as thin as you possibly can. A mandoline makes this effortless if you have one.
- Don’t skip the salting and wringing step. It’s what separates a watery cucumber salad from a properly crisp, flavorful one.
- This keeps well in the fridge for a few hours, making it a great make-ahead side for dinner parties.
Ingredients
Directions
Dissolve the sugar in the water.
Set aside.
In a bowl, generously salt the sliced cucumbers.
Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine the other ingredients, including sugar water.
Squeeze out as much of the cucumber juice as you can, by wringing a handful at a time in a double layer of cheesecloth or a dish towel.
Twist until you can extract no more juice.
Combine the squeezed cucumbers and the sauce in a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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