This Aromatic Cucumber & Carrot Salad has mouth-watering Indian flavours with cool cucumbers and crunchy carrots that makes this a go-to recipe to have in your salad arsenal.
It is incredible how 5 simple ingredients can be transformed into such a powerful flavour hit. Lemon, cumin and mint are a classic combination that will make your taste buds delirious with joy!
A great salad to have with barbecued meats and perfect to serve with hot curries to cool the heat of the chillies. Try it with sesame crusted tuna steaks or with chicken madras fillets.
The handful of fresh ingredients means it suits all dietary requirements from keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free.
The many forms of this Cucumber & Carrot Salad…
This salad can be made in many shapes and sizes…
…I have made it with carrot and cucumber spirals – elegant for a dinner party.
…I have made it with carrot and cucumber ribbons using a vegetable peeler – just perfect for curry night.
…I have also made it with thinly sliced round discs of carrot and thicker cucumber – salad in a hurry 5 minutes flat!
…I have cut the carrot and cucumber in half and sliced on the diagonal – to take to a barbecue.
…I have coarsely grated the carrot and finely diced the cucumber – to serve on toasted sourdough with a dollop of yoghurt as a topping bruschetta.
Let your own imagination run wild to create your own spin on this salad!
3 Easy Steps to a Fragrant Salad…
1 Cut your veg
Wash your carrots then trim and peel them and cut into julienne using a julienne peeler or with the julienne attachment on your mandoline / v-slicer.
Wash and trim your cucumbers then using a julienne peeler, cut around the seeds (discard the seeds from the cucumber).
2Make the vinaigrette
Place your vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar, season with salt and pepper and shake until emulsified.
3Assemble the salad
Add your carrot and cucumber julienne, the chopped fresh mint and cumin seeds in a mixing bowl, pour over your dressing and mix until the carrot and cucumber are completely coated with the vinaigrette and the mint and cumin seeds are distributed evenly throughout the salad.
Arrange in a salad bowl and serve with some mint leaves on top to garnish.
Some tips for this salad
- You can cut your carrot a day (even two) before and keep it covered in water in the fridge, this has the added advantage of crisping up the carrot beautifully.
- You can also make the salad the day before (leaving out the cucumber and mint to add on the day). This makes the carrot absorb the lemon and cumin for a more intense flavour, but just keep in mind that the carrot will lose its crunch.
- You can make it up to an hour ahead to allow the flavours to develop or leave out the mint and dressing until just before serving and make it 3-4 hours in advance.
- You can also replace the cucumber with some romaine (cos) lettuce (use 2-3 cups).
- This salad can easily be eaten the following day, it will be even more delicious just minus the crunch 😉
Hungry for more cucumber and carrot salads?
Equipment
- Julienne Peeler or Mandoline V-slicer with julienne attachment
Ingredients
- 3 carrots (approximately 180 grams)
- 2 cucumbers (approximately 300 grams)
- ¼ cup chopped mint leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (toasted)
- 4 tbsps olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2-3 tbsps lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Wash, trim and peel your carrots and cucumbers and cut into julienne with a y-peeler or with the julienne attachment on your mandoline / v-slicer. Discard the seeds from the cucumber.
- Place your vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar, season and shake until emulsified.
- Put all your ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until everything is well combined.
- Arrange in a salad bowl and serve with some extra mint leaves on top to garnish.
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