Cucumber Salads: I’ve probably made cucumber salad more times than I’ve made proper dinner in the last two years. Not because I’m some health freak, but because it’s stupidly easy, it’s cold, it’s crunchy, and it doesn’t make the kitchen hotter than it already is.
Most of the time it starts the same way: I open the fridge, see one or two slightly sad cucumbers staring at me, and think “okay, you’re getting eaten today or you’re going in the bin tomorrow.” Then I chop them up and suddenly I have something that actually tastes good.
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The version I make 80% of the time (the lazy kachumber)
- 2 normal cucumbers (the cheap ones from the market, not the shiny English kind)
- half an onion if I have it
- 1 tomato or none if I’m out
- 1–2 green chillies (sometimes more when I’m feeling brave)
- a small handful of dhania leaves
- juice of 1 lemon or 2 if they’re small and stingy
- salt (I usually do half normal salt + half kala namak)
- a fat pinch of roasted jeera powder
- sometimes a tiny sprinkle of red chilli powder or chaat masala if I’m in a mood
I don’t even peel them unless the skin looks dodgy. Just wash, chop into small-ish pieces (not grated — I like the bite), throw everything in a steel bowl, mix with my hand so I can feel if it needs more lemon or salt. Then I let it sit 5–10 minutes while I do something else. It gets juicy and cold and perfect.
I eat this with whatever — dal bhaat, roti sabzi, leftover chicken, or just by itself while scrolling. It’s the salad equivalent of “I’m not really cooking but I’m also not eating chips for lunch.”
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The smashed one I got addicted to last year
I saw people smashing cucumbers on Instagram and thought it looked dumb. Then I tried it and now I do it every couple of weeks.
Take one long cucumber, whack it a few times with the side of a big knife till it splits and cracks. Chop into chunky pieces. Then mix:
- 1–1½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar (rice if I have it, normal if I don’t)
- 1 tsp sugar or honey
- 1 fat garlic clove grated
- ½–1 tsp chilli flakes or fresh chilli chopped
- little drizzle of sesame oil if I have any left
- toasted white sesame seeds on top
Toss it all together. Eat immediately or stick it in the fridge for 15 minutes. It’s salty, garlicky, spicy, crunchy — stupidly satisfying. I’ve eaten a whole cucumber like this and felt zero guilt.
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The curd one (basically raita but lazier)
When I want something creamy but don’t want to make actual raita with roasting spices and all that.
- 2–3 cucumbers
- ¾–1 cup curd (the slightly sour homemade kind is best)
- 1 small garlic clove grated (optional but I like the bite)
- salt + black pepper
- roasted jeera powder
- fresh pudina or dhania chopped
Grate the cucumber or slice very thin, squeeze the water out hard with your hands (this step matters), then mix into beaten curd with everything else. Taste it. Usually needs more salt than you think.
Chill it for half an hour if you can wait. Goes with paratha, khichdi, pulao, or just a spoon straight from the bowl while watching reels.
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The peanut + coconut one I only make when I’m feeling fancy(Cucumber Salads)
This one feels like something you’d get at a small dhaba in Bengal or Odisha.
- 2 cucumbers chopped
- 2–3 tbsp roasted peanuts (lightly crushed)
- 1–2 tbsp fresh grated coconut (if I have it)
- 1 green chilli chopped
- salt + lemon juice
- quick tadka: ½ tsp mustard seeds + few curry leaves + pinch hing in hot oil
Pour the tadka over everything, mix, squeeze lemon. Done in under 5 minutes. Crunchy, nutty, fresh — completely different vibe from the other versions.
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Stuff I’ve learned after making it wrong a hundred times(Cucumber Salads)
- If you don’t salt and squeeze/drain the cucumber, it turns into a watery mess in 10 minutes. Annoying but true.
- English cucumbers are nicer (less seeds, thinner skin), but the local ones are fine and way cheaper.
- Lemon almost always wins over vinegar for Indian-style. Vinegar wins for the Asian smashed style.
- Taste before serving. Cucumbers can be surprisingly tasteless if you go light on seasoning.
- Don’t overdo garlic in the curd version — it can get aggressive fast.
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Read More Recipes: Baingan Bharta – The One Dish That Makes Eggplant Actually Taste Good
What I actually eat it with(Cucumber Salads)
- Anything spicy or oily (mutton curry, chicken kosha, egg bhurji)
- Plain rice + dal days
- Sometimes just rolled inside a roti with pickle when I can’t be bothered to sit down
Half the time I don’t even put it on a plate. I stand at the counter and eat from the mixing bowl with a spoon.
That’s it. Nothing revolutionary. Just a thing that’s cold, cheap, fast, and makes me feel like I ate something decent instead of surviving on chai and biscuits.
What’s your usual way to eat cucumber? Plain with salt? Or do you have some weird combo I should try?
Let me know — I’m always stealing ideas. 😄
