Cucumber Salad with Thai Chiles and Peanuts

Frequently asked questions

What is authentic Thai cucumber salad?

In Thai cuisine, ajad is a cucumber relish that's often served with satay, fried appetizers, or yellow curry. Traditional recipes call for distilled white vinegar as the acid, but we like the fruity tartness of fresh lime juice. Here, we add thinly sliced red onion instead of shallots — use whichever you prefer or have on hand. In our cucumber Thai-inspired salad, peanuts are included for a bit of crunch and contrasting flavor, and a clove of garlic accents the other flavors; feel free to leave either out if you'd like.

What kind of cucumber should I use to make salad?

For this recipe, we recommend using English cucumbers. They're the long, slim ones you likely see wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. Not only do they have small, nearly imperceptible seeds, but their skins are thin, smooth, and sweet, eliminating the need to peel them. Persian cucumbers are also a good option here — they're far shorter than English cucumbers but otherwise share many of the same traits. For the most even slices, use a mandoline.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

For a zippy bite, we opt to keep the chile seeds intact before thinly slicing them. If you're not a fan of heat, you can definitely remove the seeds first. This recipe yields a lot of salad; any leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days, though the color and texture won't be quite the same as when fresh. We encourage you to get creative with this salad—try it layered onto a sandwich or served atop a complementary noodle or rice dish.