Cucumber-and-Mâche Salad
Published May 21, 2016
Carol Sachs for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons plain, full-fat yogurt
Kosher salt to taste
10 baby cucumbers or 3 regular cucumbers, approximately 2 to 2 ½ pounds
1 cup mâche leaves, or purslane
⅓ cup mint leaves
⅓ cup cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
6 grams carbs; 44 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 2 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 344 milligrams sodium; 1 gram protein; 2 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
For the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, ginger and yogurt, along with a pinch of salt, and set aside.
- Step 2
Slice each cucumber in half lengthwise, and then into quarters. Slice each quarter on the diagonal in thin slices. Place in a large bowl along with the mâche, mint and cilantro. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the greens, and mix gently. Place the salad on a large platter, sprinkle with the nigella seeds and serve, with the oil drizzled on top.
Private Notes
Comments
There are lots of common names for the seeds of Nigella sativa: black caraway, black cumin, fennel flower seeds, Roman coriander seed, etc. Nigella seed is an essential component of panch phoron, the classic Bengali 5-spice mixture, so you should be able to find it at almost any Indian or Bangladeshi grocer, where it may be labeled as "kalonji."
What are nigella seeds?
Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Cut each half lengthwise again, for 4 long pieces. Chef calls for thin slices on the diagonal which is tricky, but important. Cutting the cucumber pieces at a 90 degree angle would result in small dice which is visually unappealing. Instead you must cut each piece at a long angle. Look closely at the photo and you will see the pieces of cucumber cut thinly and about 1.5 inches in length. Adjust your cutting angle to achieve this piece length. Its food math!
Very nice. I added some feta to it. Dressing should be added just before serving. Greens are delicate and wilt rapidly.
Nice. Needs a bit of spicing. Served with salmon.
I made this with purslane and it was unusual and amazing. We loved it. It was my introduction to purslane (which appeared in a CSA share) and I had enough for two tries. The first time I just used the leaves; the second time, I included some of the chopped stem, which added a nice sour touch. (Purslane, like sorrel, is high in oxalic acid.)