If you asked me to describe this salad I would say it tastes like fresh pickles with a Thai twist. Fresh cucumbers are marinated in a sweet, sour, mild hot sauce and then garnished with fresh cilantro. For authentic flavor use sweet chili sauce manufactured in Thailand.

Thai Cucumber Salad

Marinade
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce

In a small saucepan heat sugar and vinegar over medium high heat just until sugar melts. Remove from heat and pour into a glass mixing bowl. Add salt and stir until dissolved. Add sweet chili sauce. Refrigerate marinade while you prepare the vegetables.

Salad
3 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Clean and slice vegetables. Add vegetables to marinade. Make sure all vegetables are submerged. Refrigerate for at least one hour before eating. Before eating, garnish with  cilantro leaves. Keeps several days in the refrigerator.

Published in The News and Neighbor on January 11, 2014