14 recipes that use cucumber, with photos, step-by-step instructions and cook times. The quickest, Mexican avocado soup, takes 10 minutes. It is most often cooked with coriander, carrot and sugar.
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A true Greek salad has no lettuce: just ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion and olives, dressed with good olive oil and dried oregano, with a whole slab of feta on top. Salt the tomatoes first and they'll make their own dressing.
A big, bright salad of red, green and yellow peppers, boiled peanuts, sweet corn, grapes, apple and coconut, tossed in a sweet-sour passion fruit and mint dressing. It is very popular at big parties: it looks festive, keeps its crunch and is easy to double. Serve it on a bed of crisp lettuce.
A crunchy salad of red, yellow and green peppers with roasted peanuts, cucumber, carrots and celery, dressed with lemon, dill, mint and celery leaves. Just before serving, olive oil mixed with sesame seeds is poured over the top. It's colourful, filling and full of protein.
A refreshing green juice of cucumber, green apple, celery, spinach and bottle gourd (dudhi), lifted with parsley, basil and mint. It's light, clean-tasting and best drunk first thing in the morning, as soon as it's made. Taste a small piece of the bottle gourd first: if it tastes bitter, don't use it.
A cool, pale-green juice of cucumbers, sweet pineapple, carrots and celery with a few fresh sage leaves. Soothing and lightly sweet. Serve cold.
A fresh, crunchy salad of home-sprouted mung beans with juicy pineapple, coconut, cucumber and cherry tomatoes, dressed with orange juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It is light, sweet and tangy, full of protein, and makes a healthy lunch on its own. Chill everything well, and add the lettuce at the last minute so it stays crisp.
A crunchy salad of golden fried almonds, roasted pumpkin seeds, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, celery and apple, with plenty of spring onion and coriander. The dressing is simply lemon juice, sugar and salt, so the fresh flavours shine. Serve it cold with crusty bread.
A tropical salad of julienned mango, cucumber and cabbage with thin slices of fresh coconut and toasted pumpkin seeds. The dressing is sweet and hot with chilli flakes and parsley. Choose firm, semi-ripe mangoes so the strips hold their shape, and add them at the last minute.
Carrots, turnips, three colours of pepper, cucumber, onion and tomato cut into fine matchsticks and spiced with chilli, lemon and coriander. A sizzling dressing of hot oil with cumin, mustard and sesame seeds is poured over at the table. It is crunchy and bright, and should be eaten as soon as it's dressed.
A fresh, juicy chutney of grated tomato, cucumber and carrot with crushed chillies, ketchup and coriander. It's the bright, tangy salad-chutney served with Kenyan-style maru bhajia (crispy potato bhajias). It needs no cooking and takes minutes to make.
A cool, smooth dip of fresh yogurt blended with spring onions, cucumber, green chilli, garlic and roasted cumin. It's light and refreshing, and is just right with barbecued paneer, vegetable skewers and corn. Serve it well chilled.
A crunchy, raita-like dip of sour cream packed with cucumber, coloured peppers, carrot and onion, with fresh coriander, green chilli and cumin. Chill it for a few hours so the flavours blend. Serve it with rice, naan or pitta.
A creamy, sweet-and-tangy raita of chilled yogurt with banana, grated cucumber and pepper, spiced with mustard, cumin and a little chilli. It's cooling next to spicy food: serve it with biryani or dhosa ladoo. For a festive version, add finely chopped apple and pomegranate seeds.
A smooth, pale green soup of ripe avocado, cucumber, lime and coriander, blended and served cold. It's refreshing on a hot day; serve it with lime quarters, coarse salt and nacho triangles. Mexicans also serve it hot: make it with boiling vegetable stock instead of cold water, just before serving, and don't reheat it.
