My wonderful partner was, yet again, cooking me dinner and said it would be lovely to have pickled cucumber with it. Just to give a refreshing acidic side to our onion-y, lentil tomato sauce. My task was set. Had I a few days notice as opposed to forty-five minutes, I could have actually pickled, fermentation style, some cucumber, but this is healthy next best. I imagine it would get yummier if you have the time leave it for a couple of hours!

I used a spiralizer but you could use a potato peeler to get thin strips, or if you are the daring type and like to risk your fingertips you could use a mandolin (shivers all over 😉 )

Quick and Zesty Pickled Cucumber Salad

• One organic cucumber- spiralized
• One small organic carrot- spiralized
• A quarter cup of proper fermented brown rice vinegar
• A tablespoon of real fermented tamari (gluten free )
• Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil/ sesame oil
• A teaspoon of grated ginger
• A dash of mirin
• Juice of half a lemon
• Five or six twists of black pepper
• A third cup mix of lightly toasted sunflower & poppy seeds
• Toast the seeds with an eighth teaspoon or pinch of himalayan pink salt/ sea salt

Grab a salad bowl. Whisk together your vinegar, tamari, oil, mirin, pepper, ginger and lemon. Add in your cucumber and carrot, mix so that it is all covered in the liquid.

Press mixture down so it is covered and leave to macerate for thirty minutes.

 

Toast the seeds with the salt, in a dry pan on a high heat for about a minute. The sunflower seeds should be barely changing colour. Add in the seeds when you are about to serve – so they are still crunchy!

There you have it Quick and easy zesty pickled cucumber salad! Hope you like it. Xs Aissa