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Just inherited a bunch of cucumbers from a friend's garden. I love them just on their own with some salt, and have made many a salad using them. I'm curious what kinds of fun things you all may use them for. Even if you feel like it's basic please share as I will be eating cucumbers for the next several days straight lol. Thanks for any and all suggestions!

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[-] raccoona_nongrata@beehaw.org 16 points 1 year ago

In food?

A basic cucumber salad with some onion, tomato and vinegar dressing is always great.

I also used them to create a gin infusion that was pretty fresh tasting and easy to make, makes for a nice summer cocktail.

[-] roguetrick@kbin.social 24 points 1 year ago

In food?

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[-] Overzeetop@beehaw.org 7 points 1 year ago

The Anakin/Padme meme just writes itself on this one.

[-] groucho@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 year ago

There it is.

[-] maniel@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[-] feeltheglee@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

A basic cucumber salad with some onion, tomato and vinegar dressing is always great.

This is my go-to summer salad! Chunks of tomato and cucumber with thin-sliced shallot or red onion, salt and let sit for ~20 minutes to release some liquid, drain and add chopped avocado and your favorite canned bean (I like cannellini), dress with black pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

[-] TimTheEnchanter@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

I make a cucumber salad similar to this and add a little bit of feta cheese, too.

[-] jemikwa 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Korean spicy seasoned cucumber (oi muchim) is awesome with any meal with rice. Other than gochugaru (hot pepper flakes), every other ingredient you can get at a typical grocery store. I always have gochugaru on hand so I make this pretty regularly with lunch

[-] Suck_on_my_Presence@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

Absolutely this. I make a slightly different version.

Halve a few cucumbers, chop into 1/2" pieces, I then crush line under a plate or bowl, not to pulp but just to break them up some. Salt and set aside for a few minutes to draw some moisture out. Drain, then add a tbsp or so of gochujang, a clove or so of garlic, tsp or so sesame oil, splash ponzu, 1 tsp sugar, and chili flakes to taste.

Honestly I've even just parsed it down to gochujang and sesame oil and it's great.

Excellent side dish to so many things.

[-] forestG@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

I am definitely trying this, thanks!

[-] bownage@beehaw.org 13 points 1 year ago

Tzaziki is one of my favourite uses for cucumber, plus you can really put a lot in there. Another option might be raita!

[-] plactagonic@beehaw.org 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I like them in salads, but when is harvesting season and I have lots of them I like to add them to pasta veggie mixes.

Usually I add them at the end of cooking to be lightly roasted but still crunchy.

Edit: roasted autoerection in action ;-)

[-] liv@beehaw.org 9 points 1 year ago

So jealous of the amount of Raita you could be eating right now.

I would try to make biryani as my raita delivery vehicle.

[-] DontNoodles@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 year ago

Yes OP look up a recipe for raita and go for it. Maximum flavour from minimum ingredients. The spice i love in my raita is roasted and crushed cumin.

Cucumber is good for meatless sandwiches. The classic English tea sandwich is cucumber and cream cheese. I like cucumber, hummus, onion, and tomato on seeded whole wheat. It gives a sandwich that relies on a spread for it's primary filling flavor some thickness and crunch.

[-] spj_hook@sub.wetshaving.social 7 points 1 year ago

They’re excellent for dipping in hummus. That’s actually what I’m eating right now as I type this.

[-] dumples@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

Make pickles. It's easy to make refrigerator pickles you just need some vinegar and spices. It works the best if their pickling cucumbers but the regular ones work alright. The flavor is the but the texture is a little off

[-] Kajo@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

Salade nicoise : cold rice, tomatoes, cucumbers, olivs (green or black, but black ones give a weird color to the salad), mayonnaise. You can also add thuna, cubes of hard cheese..

Tabbouleh : bulgur, tomatoes, cucumber, oignon, mint, lemon juice, olive oil. You can also add chicken breast, chick peas, raisin, parsley, watermelon..

For these salades, there are tons of recipes. In my opinion, the most important is to have more vegetables than anything else.

[-] tychosmoose@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago

Cacik! It's a Turkish chilled soup with yogurt, cucumber, mint, garlic, etc. Very refreshing in hot weather.

[-] Milksteaks@midwest.social 6 points 1 year ago

Get some French onion or ranch dip and cut them into slices for eating. Another possible option is to dehydrate them into cucumber chips.

[-] enjoytemple@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago
[-] TeachMeHowToDuzy@lemmy.one 5 points 1 year ago

Greek salad with diced cucumber, tomato, onion, olives, and feta with a vinaigrette is delicious. Also, cucumber and onion salad is just cucumbers, onions, white vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and a little sugar is delicious. I can't remember the measurements but it should be very easy to find online.

[-] Sharpiemarker@startrek.website 5 points 1 year ago
[-] newtraditionalists@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Never encountered finadene, thanks so much for sharing! Looking forward to trying :)

[-] Sharpiemarker@startrek.website 2 points 1 year ago

It's a fantastically versatile sauce. You can marinate chicken or dip cooked beef in it for flavor. Or pour it over rice with fish.

[-] eagleeyedtiger@lemmy.nz 5 points 1 year ago

Chinese style smashed cucumber salad with chilli and sesame oil

[-] wildeaboutoskar@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

So it's not exactly sophisticated but cucumber water. I love it, every time I go somewhere that has cucumber water I always think I'm somewhere posh (even though it costs pennies).

[-] uphillbothways@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

We've had a huge crop of Armenian cucumbers, this year. They just won't stop. Been juicing them by the gallon, to just drink. And, marinating them in mirin/rice vinegar/sesame oil w garlic for simple salads with just chopped tomatoes stirred in.

[-] ConsciousCode@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

I should eat them more, but I have an irrational fear that they'll go moldy before I even cut them. Mostly only use them in tzatziki and sushi, but they're good in a salad, sandwich, anything requiring a refreshing component.

[-] coaxil@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago
[-] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 3 points 1 year ago

As a garnish in a gin and tonic

[-] claycle@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Panzanella comes immediately to mind, as does gazpacho and Thai stuffed cucumber soup.

[-] kynan@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

My daughter loves to cut cucumbers (Persian/English ones with limited seeds and a pretty solid core) into little serving vessels.

She gets a 5cm/2inch diameter cuke, chops it into 4cm/1.5inch cylinders, uses a melon baller to scoop out most of the middle - making a kind of cucumber-based cup, then she fills it up with whatever she's fashioned out of available ingredients.

She's done guacamole, egg salad, some kind of bizarre ham and soy sauce and carrot thing, a Philadelphia-cream-cheese-based mix, leftover fried-rice. Basically, whatever you can ram into a cucumber goes!

If you want a fun way to plate different taste sensations it's an attractive presentation option! It also serves to "revitalise" leftovers, providing an alternative serving platform to keep finicky-eaters engaged. It also also means you don't need a knife/fork and maybe not even another plate apart from the serving one, so saves you some washing up 🙂

En Guete!

[-] dan@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago
[-] lvxferre@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Sunomomo. Typically prepared with Japanese cucumber, but it works fine with other types too. Recipe:

  • 4 cucumbers or so
  • ½ Tbsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 3 Tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
  1. Slice the cucumbers, really thin. It's fine to use a knife, but do it preferably with a mandolino.
  2. Sprinkle salt over the slices. Make sure that it's spread evenly. Wait 15min or so. Drain the water.
  3. In the meantime mix the sugar, water, and vinegar. Add it to the cucumber and sprinkle the sesame seeds. Let it chill a bit and serve.

Some people also add soy sauce, or MSG.

[-] ArtZuron@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

I personally like them on sandwiches or wraps. They add a nice texture and they taste good. I'll often replace pickles with them, since they are the same thing, just one is pickled.

this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2023
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