Did you know that in many parts of the world, cucumber lettuce is a very popular dish to serve when the weather is very hot? Although cucumber lettuce has a variety of recipes, they all share the same characteristics: easy to make, fresh and delicious! Once you know how to make classic cucumber lettuce, you can definitely start experimenting with other recipes or even creating your own.
Ingredients
Classic Cucumber Lettuce
- 2 medium sized cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 80 ml apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 80 ml water
- 2 tbsp. (30 grams) sugar
- tsp. salt
- tsp. pepper
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or dill (optional)
For: 6 servings
Creamy Cucumber Lettuce
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced into 0.3 cm. thickness
- tsp. salt
- 125 grams sour cream
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives or dill
- 1 tbsp. (15 ml) white wine vinegar
- tsp. fresh ground black pepper
For: 4 servings
Greek Cucumber Lettuce
- 2 English cucumbers
- Salt, to taste
- 150 grams of feta cheese crumbs
- 2 tbsp. fresh oregano or dill
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 clove of red onion, finely chopped
- Squeeze 2 lemons with grated skin
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
For: 4 to 6 servings
Japanese Cucumber Lettuce
- 2 medium cucumbers, or 1 large English cucumber
- 60 ml rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. (15 grams) sugar
- tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. (16 grams) sesame seeds, toasted
For: 4 servings
Thai Cucumber Lettuce
- 2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 30 grams chopped peanuts
Lettuce Sauce
- 80 ml rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
- tsp. toasted sesame oil
- to tsp. chili powder
- tsp. salt
For: 6 servings
Step
Method 1 of 5: Making Classic Cucumber Lettuce
Step 1. Place the thin slices of cucumber in a small bowl
If you want, you can use a bowl that you will later use to serve lettuce or another bowl. Later, lettuce should be refrigerated for a few hours, then drained of excess liquid before serving.
Try using seedless cucumbers. If the cucumber you are using contains seeds, you will need to remove them first
Step 2. Prepare the cucumber sauce
Pour the vinegar and water into a container. Then, add sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Close the container tightly, then shake the container to mix all the ingredients in it. If you don't have a closed container like a jar, you can also use a plastic container that can be tightly closed. If you'd like, you can also mix all the sauce ingredients in a cup, then mix with a fork or a whisk.
Step 3. Pour the sauce over the cucumbers
Toss the lettuce gently so that the entire surface is well coated with the sauce.
Step 4. Cover the bowl with the cucumbers and put it in the refrigerator
Cover the surface of the bowl with plastic wrap, then place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. By doing so, the cucumbers will better absorb the flavors of all the sauce ingredients.
Step 5. Dry the cucumbers
Remove the plastic wrap, then transfer the lettuce into a colander or colander. Gently shake the colander or colander over the sink to drain any excess liquid from the cucumbers.
Step 6. Put the cucumbers in a serving bowl
Then, add chopped parsley or fresh dill, if desired. Serve the lettuce right away, or refrigerate it until it's time to serve.
Method 2 of 5: Making Creamy Cucumber Lettuce
Step 1. Mix the cucumber with salt on top of the colander
Place the thin slices of cucumber in a colander or colander, then sprinkle the surface with tsp. salt. Then, gently shake the colander or sieve to distribute the salt.
Step 2. Leave the cucumbers for 1 hour to drain the liquid
If your sink is very clean, the colander can be placed directly on it. Otherwise, a colander or strainer can also be placed on top of the bowl. Do not put the cucumbers in the refrigerator at this stage!
Step 3. Strain the cucumbers
Remove the colander or strainer from the bowl and gently shake it to remove any remaining excess liquid. Also drain the remaining liquid in the bowl, then wipe the walls of the bowl dry.
Step 4. Dry the cucumbers with kitchen paper
Line the kitchen table with paper towels, then arrange the cucumbers on it in a single layer. After that, cover the surface of the cucumber with a paper towel, and press the cucumber to absorb the excess liquid.
Step 5. Prepare the lettuce sauce in a serving bowl
First, put sour cream, then add chopped chives or fresh dill. Then, season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste, then mix all the ingredients using a fork or a dough beater.
- Don't have vinegar or hate the taste? Use fresh lemon juice.
- Don't like sour cream or have a hard time finding it? Use yogurt.
Step 6. Put the cucumbers in a bowl
First of all, put the cucumber first. Then, mix gently with a large spoon or rubber spatula. Make sure the spoon or spatula touches the bottom and sides of the bowl, okay?
Step 7. Serve the lettuce immediately
If the lettuce is not served immediately, cover the surface of the bowl with plastic wrap, then store the bowl in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Method 3 of 5: Making Greek Cucumber Lettuce
Step 1. Combine cucumber and salt in a colander
Place a colander or colander over a bowl, then pour in the cucumber slices and sprinkle with salt to taste. Gently shake the sieve so that the entire surface of the cucumber is covered with salt.
At this point, don't use a serving bowl
Step 2. Prepare the lettuce sauce
Pour the lemon juice and olive oil into a small bowl. Then, add the grated lemon zest, and mix all of the sauce ingredients using a fork or mini dough beater. Set the sauce aside while you prepare the rest of the lettuce ingredients.
Step 3. Combine all remaining ingredients in a separate bowl
First, put the feta cheese in a bowl. Then, add the oregano, garlic, and shallots and stir all the ingredients using the special lettuce tongs until well combined.
At this stage, use a serving bowl
Step 4. Drain the cucumbers, then put them in a bowl
Lift the colander or colander from the top of the bowl and gently shake it to remove any excess liquid. After that, put the cucumbers in a bowl.
Step 5. Mix the lettuce with the sauce
Pour the sauce over the top of the lettuce, then stir the lettuce with tongs so that all the ingredients are covered with the sauce. Make sure you also stir in the cucumber slices that accumulate at the bottom of the bowl, okay?
Step 6. Serve the lettuce immediately
If the lettuce isn't serving right away, cover the surface of the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate the bowl until it's time to serve.
Method 4 of 5: Making Japanese Cucumber Lettuce
Step 1. Toast the sesame seeds, if necessary
If you bought sesame seeds that have been roasted, skip this step. Otherwise, roast or roast the sesame seeds in a skillet over low heat, stirring constantly. After 2 minutes, the color of the sesame seeds should turn golden and the aroma should be off. Pour the toasted sesame seeds into a bowl, and let them cool down.
Step 2. Peel the cucumber
You can peel the entire cucumber skin or leave a portion of the skin to form a stripe pattern to enhance its appearance.
Step 3. Remove the cucumber seeds
First of all, cut the cucumber in half. Then, scrape the seeds with a spoon and throw them away immediately. This method should also be used even if you are using a seedless cucumber.
Step 4. Thinly slice the cucumber
Do this using a sharp knife or food processor. Ideally, cucumbers should be sliced to almost paper-thin.
Step 5. Press the cucumber with two pieces of paper towels to absorb the excess liquid
First of all, cover the kitchen table with kitchen tissue. Then, lay the cucumbers in a single layer on top, then place a sheet of kitchen paper back on top. Gently press the cucumber to absorb the excess liquid.
Step 6. Prepare the lettuce sauce in a separate bowl
Pour the vinegar into a medium-sized bowl, then add the sugar and salt to taste. Mix all ingredients with a fork or mini dough beater until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
Step 7. Put the cucumber and sesame seeds in a bowl
Then, stir the lettuce until all the ingredients are well mixed using special tongs. Make sure you also stir in the cucumber slices that have accumulated at the bottom of the bowl, OK!
Step 8. Serve the lettuce immediately
Japanese-style cucumber lettuce is the perfect accompaniment to many Japanese specialties, including sushi and sashimi.
Method 5 of 5: Making Thai Cucumber Lettuce
Step 1. Prepare the lettuce sauce
Pour the vinegar into a small bowl. Then, add the sugar, sesame oil, chili powder, and salt to it and mix all the ingredients with a fork or mini dough beater. Set the sauce aside so the flavors blend well while you prepare the rest of the lettuce.
Step 2. Peel and slice the cucumber
Cucumbers should be sliced as thin as possible! If the cucumber contains seeds, make sure you remove them first. After that, place the whole cucumber slices in a serving bowl.
Step 3. Add ground nuts and leaves to the bowl
If you have trouble finding chopped peanuts, you can do this yourself using a sharp knife. Alternatively, you can also process the peanuts for a few seconds using a food processor.
Step 4. Pour the sauce over the lettuce
Once the sauce has been poured, stir the lettuce until it is evenly coated with the sauce using special tongs. Make sure all the ingredients are well coated with the sauce, yes!
If the lettuce sauce settles or separates, mix well before using
Step 5. Serve the lettuce immediately
If not eating right away, cover the surface of the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap and store the bowl in the refrigerator. Before eating, lettuce needs to be stirred one more time so that all the ingredients in it are well mixed.
Tips
- You can use a vegetable knife or even a food processor to thinly slice the cucumber.
- If possible, use seedless cucumbers. If you have trouble finding it, make sure the cucumber seeds are removed before processing them into lettuce.
- Cucumber skin can be peeled or not.
- Add sliced tomatoes to creamy cucumber salad or Greek-style cucumber salad.
- Add black olives to the Greek-style cucumber salad.
- If you'd like, you can add sliced red onions to the classic cucumber salad or Greek-style cucumber lettuce to enhance the taste.
- Garnish the lettuce with fresh dill sprigs.
- English cucumbers are no different from seedless cucumbers and greenhouse cucumbers.
- You don't have to strain and dry the cucumbers before processing them. However, doing so can reduce the liquid in the cucumbers, which risks making the lettuce sauce too runny.
- Make your own cucumber lettuce recipe! In general, some ingredients that taste great with cucumbers are lemon, white vinegar, dill, mint leaves, and yogurt.
