Spicy Lao Cucumber Salad (Tum Tang)

Step 1

Use a sharp knife, then cut cucumbers into long thin julienne slivers. *See the section above on how to cut the cucumbers for the salad.

Step 2

Lightly pound the garlic and chilis in a large mortar and pestle. Don’t make a paste.

Step 3

Add the sauces: fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, tamarind, and Pla Ra sauce. Mix the sauces well until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Step 4

Add the sliced tomatoes and green beans. Firmly pound together, and avoid splashing the sauce too much.

Step 5

Add the cucumber and dried shrimp, then pound for a minute or so until the salads look bruised but not too crushed. The cucumber juices will marinate beautifully with the sauces at this point.

Step 6

Add the crushed peanuts (optional). Let the salad sit to marinade for 2-3 minutes while you prepare a plate with garnish to serve in.

Step 7

Serve with sticky rice, vermicelli rice noodles, or jasmine rice, or serve as a stand-alone salad. The rice and noodles will help absorb some of the spicinesses of the salad.