Home Cook Together. Celebrate Life.

PeruvianAuthentic Cuisine

Peruvian Cucumber Salad

Serves 4 to 6 Salad vegetarian, Salads

Peruvian Cucumber Salad

Peruvian Cucumber Salad is a staple at many home tables across Peru, appreciated for its simplicity and refreshing qualities. This salad is often enjoyed during warm afternoons, a cooling companion to richer dishes that populate the family meal. The recipe captures the essence of home cooking, where ingredients are measured by intuition and experience, rather than by strict guidelines.

The salad delivers a crisp texture from the cucumbers, contrasted by the creamy tang of yogurt. Garlic adds a gentle bite, while dill provides a fragrant note, all brought together by a generous hand with salt. It’s a dish that thrives on balance, offering a cool, savory break amidst the vibrant flavors of Peruvian cuisine.

Ingredients

  • 2cucumbers
  • 200 gyogurt
  • 1 clovegarlic
  • dill — chopped
  • to tastefine sea salt

Method

  1. Begin by peeling the 2 cucumbers. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin, then slice them thinly into rounds, about 1/8 inch thick. Place the cucumber slices in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
  2. Mince 1 clove of garlic finely. Add the minced garlic to the bowl with the cucumbers. This will infuse the salad with a subtle garlic flavor without overpowering the freshness of the cucumbers.
  3. In a separate small bowl, combine 200 g of yogurt with a generous pinch of fine sea salt. Stir in a handful of chopped fresh dill, adjusting the amount to your taste preference. The yogurt will serve as a creamy base that balances the crispness of the cucumbers.
  4. Pour the yogurt mixture over the cucumber slices. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of lime juice to the bowl, enhancing the salad with a touch of acidity and richness.
  5. Gently toss the salad using two large spoons, ensuring that the cucumber slices are evenly coated with the yogurt dressing. Be careful not to break the cucumber slices; they should remain intact and crisp.
  6. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning with more fine sea salt if needed. The flavors should be well-balanced, with the creaminess of the yogurt complementing the freshness of the cucumbers.
  7. Transfer the salad to a serving platter. Serve at once with fresh bread, allowing the salad's vibrant flavors to shine as part of a shared meal.
Cover of Authentic Peruvian Cuisine
From the cookbook

Authentic Peruvian Cuisine

This recipe is from Authentic Peruvian Cuisine by Yassine Sbiti — the Peruvian volume in the ComidaTime International Cuisines series.

Available soon on Amazon…

Explore Peruvian cuisine