"Wake Up Your Mouth" Thai Cucumber Salad

(On July 12, 2006 I posted an updated version of Wake Up Your Mouth Thai Cucumber Salad with a photo of the dish.)

I know a couple of guys in Venice, Caifornia, who are going to love this recipe. But even if you're not that familiar with Thai food, I hope you will try this. I adapted it from a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit, changing some ingredients to make it a bit more South Beach Diet friendly and easier to make. It was so completely delicious that when I tested it I sat on my porch eating it muttering "Yum, yum."

The recipe uses Thai fish sauce (nam pla), not to be confused with Vietnamese, Chinese or Japanese fish sauce, which are all slightly different. I used A Taste of Thai brand Virgin Fish Sauce which you can buy in most any grocery store.

"WAKE UP YOUR MOUTH" THAI CUCUMBER SALAD
(about 4 servings, adapted from Bon Appetit magazine)

2 European cucumbers or 4 fresh garden cucumbers
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (measure after chopping)
1/4 cup (or more) chopped peanuts

dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 T Thai Fish Sauce (nam pla)
1 1/2 T Splenda
1 tsp. green Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 tsp. garlic puree
salt and pepper to taste

Cut ends off cucumbers, then cut off the peel, leaving thin strips of peel in stripes around the cucumber. Cut striped cucumbers in half lengthwise, then in 1/2 inch slices. Wash mint, dry well and chop coarsely.

Mix dressing ingredients. Combine chopped mint and cucumbers in plastic bowl with a snap on lid, pour dressing over, put lid on and shake a few times so all cucumbers are completely coated with dressing. Pour into serving bowl, sprinkle chopped peanuts over and serve immediately.

Notes: If this is your first experience with Fish Sauce, don't be put off by the smell. It tastes great as long as you don't put too much. If you don't have fresh lime juice you could substitute some bottled lime juice mixed with a tiny bit of water, but fresh is definitely preferred. If you don't have green Tabasco, you could use red Tobasco, but decrease the amount because the red is much hotter. The green Tobasco has a delightful flavor that is great on lots of foods, so consider buying a bottle if you haven't tried it.

I am sorry to report that this did not keep well at all. When I tried the leftovers the next day the taste of the mint had completely overpowered every other flavor. I guess you will just have to eat it all.

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