Cucumber

Deseed and dice

1. 1

   Trim the ends; peel if the skin is thick or waxed.

2. 2

   Halve lengthways and run a teaspoon down the middle to remove seeds.

3. 3

   Cut into strips, then dice.

Smashed

1. 1

   Lay the cucumber on the board and press the flat of a cleaver or rolling pin until it cracks.

2. 2

   Break into bite-sized chunks along the cracks.

Tips

• Salting sliced cucumber for 10 minutes and squeezing removes water so dressings stay strong.

Knife cuts that suit it

• Rondelle3–6 mm thick discs

• Small dice6 × 6 × 6 mm

• Julienne3 × 3 × 50 mm (fine julienne: 1.5 × 1.5 × 50 mm)

Use it in

• Cucumber raita
• Smashed cucumber salad
• Tzatziki
• Oi muchim (spicy cucumber salad)