Cucumber tajin salad

An aerial image of a sunlit cucumber, tajin, feta and mint salad on a white ceramic plate atop a white marble table

Serves 6 as a side

*This recipe uses Australian tablespoons, which are 1 teaspoon larger than US, UK, Canada and NZ tablespoons. Use 1 extra teaspoon per tablespoon in the recipe if you use these measures.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 5

Course Salad

Cuisine Food Intolerance Friendly

Servings people

Ingredients

Dressing:

60 ml (3 tablespoons)* lime juice
60 ml (3 tablespoons)* maple syrup
1 teaspoon corn starch or potato starch

For the salad:

1.5 kg cucumbers peeled (will be approximately 1kg once peeled)
1/2 – 1 bunch of mint chopped or whole
200 g Greek feta cubed or crumbled
2-3 teaspoons tajin seasoning to your tastes
Zest of 1 lime

Instructions

Mix up the dressing and adjust the sweet/sour to your taste.
Add the chopped cucumber to a bowl, then pour over the dressing. Stir to combine, then set aside for 20-30 minutes (if you have time).
Drain the excess liquid off the cucumber into a small saucepan. Turn the heat to low-medium, and allow to come to a simmer.
Add the corn starch or potato starch to a small bowl, and mix just enough water into it to form a slurry. Add this slurry to the saucepan and stir. The sauce should thicken considerably and rather quickly. Allow to cook for a few more minutes or until it has reached your desired sauce consistency, then set aside to cool a little. Note that it will thicken as it cools.
Place the cucumber on your serving platter and add the mint and optional jalapeno. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine, then finish with the feta, tajin and lime zest to taste. Best served immediately and eaten the same day.

Notes

Lebanese cucumbers are low FODMAP in 75g serves per person per serve. In 265g serves, they contain moderate amounts of fructose.
Continental cucumbers are low FODMAP in 75g serves per person per serve. In 360g serves, they contain moderate amounts of fructose.
As such, both varieties of cucumbers are low FODMAP but you can eat slightly more continental cucumber. Choose whichever variety works best for you.
Cucumber naturally emits a lot of liquid. The salt in the tajin will also draw out liquid from the cucumber. For best results, assemble the salad immediately prior to eating.
If you need to pre-prepare, I recommend assembling all the ingredients separately and combining them just prior to eating.
If you need to bring the salad assembled, I recommend leaving off the tajin, lime zest and dressing until the last minute.
Tajin is a combination of smoky but mild chilli flakes, salt and dehydrated lime. It adds a delicious tangy and smoky flavour to the salad and I highly recommend sourcing some. These days it is readily available at specialty grocers or online. It is also a great replacement for a traditional margarita glass salt rim, just saying.
If you don’t want to use tajin, season the salad to taste.

Keyword cucumber and tajin, cucumber salad, low fodmap cucumber salad, low fodmap salad