Frugal Side Dishes: Cucumber Salad

With Spring in the air, I am looking forward to preparing and serving more salads and eating more raw vegetables.  During the winter months, I tend to prefer cooked vegetables, but in the warmer months, I like trying an array of raw vegetables, especially if they are well seasoned and crisp.  Cucumbers are my new favorite finger food.  Very cooling, I find they make a great contrast to other foods and a great vehicle for dips such as hummus.  This is a cucumber salad that I prepared last week, based loosely on the Korean salad.  The complex flavors enhance the crunchiness of the cucumber.  It makes a nice side dish to an Asian meal or to a meal with simple roast meats.

Korean Cucumber Salad
2-3 small to medium Persian cucumbers
1 garlic clove, minced
1 scallion, sliced
1 t fish sauce (or soy sauce)
2 T  rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
1/2 t sugar
1 t sesame oil
red pepper flakes to taste

Slice the cucumbers thin at an angle (I do not peel the Persian cucumbers).  Place in a bowl and add the other ingredients.  Toss to mix well so that all of the seasoning ingredients combine.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes and toss again just before serving.

shared at Frugal Friday and Grocery Cart Challenge