Recipe: Crunchy Cucumber Salad with Crushed Peanuts and Hot Oil Dressing (Indian)

CRUNCHY CUCUMBER SALAD WITH CRUSHED PEANUTS

"My mother showed me this salad recipe twenty years ago, and I still make it exactly the same way. Fresh and complex tasting at the same time, it's hard to improve upon. Anyone who eats this salad at my home ends up asking for the recipe "

2 English or other unwaxed cucumbers, chopped into 1/4-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 medium green Serrano chile, minced (seed first if you prefer)
1/2 cup peanuts, preferably raw, but toasted, unsalted ones will do
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or more if needed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

Place diced cucumbers in medium bowl along with chile; set aside.

Using coffee grinder or food processor, pulse peanuts until they are reduced to a coarse powder. (You don't want big chunks of peanuts, nor do you want a fine powder; stop grinding somewhere in between.)

Add peanuts to cucumbers, along with lemon juice, salt and sugar, and mix well. Taste and adjust salt, sugar and lemon juice as needed. The salad should be slightly tart.

TO MAKE TADKA (HEATING THE SPICES IN OIL):
Place cayenne in a little pile on top of the salad. Do not stir it in yet.

Heat oil in small skillet or butter warmer over high heat. When it begins to smoke, add mustard seeds, covering pan with a lid or spatter screen.

As soon as seeds stop sputtering, pour the hot oil mixture over the cayenne on the salad. Stir dressing in and serve at room temperature or cold.

Makes 4 servings
Source: 5 Spices, 50 Dishes by Ruta Kahate