Lao-Style Spicy Cucumber Salad

Sabaidee,

I remember eating salads quite often when I was in Laos few years ago. Papaya and cucumber salad are my favourite among other wonderful Laotion salad. Lao-style cucumber salad or called as tum mark dang is delicious and it's perfect to eat with sticky rice. Steamed sticky rice is a staple dish for Laotion and these dish available almost everywhere in Laos.

I've made Lao-style cucumber salad and steamed sticky rice this afternoon just because I craved for these dish since last month. It feels so good to get the tastes of Lao dish once in a while.

LAO-STYLE SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredient;

1 cucumber
1 tomato or cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 clove garlic
1-2 Thai chillies
1 tablespoon palm sugar/ brown sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon shrimp paste
Fish sauce to taste

METHOD;

- Peel the cucumber and shredded, set aside.
- Place the garlic, chillies, sugar, lime juice and shrimp paste in the mortar and pound roughly.
- Add the shredded cucumber and tomatoes and gently pound and stir through with the pestle and spoon. I pound little by little because I had a small mortar.
- Season with fish sauce and add more lime juice if needed and gently mix everything.
- Serve with sticky rice and green salad.

Bon appétit!