Minted cucumbers and strawberry stacks (Kheera kachumbar)

I have made several strawberry salads this year, but I wanted to top them off with this wonderful Indian-influenced salad.

A kachumbar is the term used for an Indian salad with tomatoes, onions, and lime juice as the basic components. However, with today's more contemporary and fusion Indian cuisine, the definition has been broadened to include any Indian salad. Kachumbars are served along with the main course as a side condiment to enhance the flavours of the main dishes. However, I would also serve this salad alone as a simple salad course, as the flavours are so distinct and wonderful, or as a small palate cleanser between courses.

This is a very simple salad—just an assembly job in reality—but the visuals and flavors are wonderful. The crunchy cucumbers are complimented by the sweet-tart strawberries, and the hint of chilli adds that last pop of flavour. This is also the perfect salad for the hot days of summer—light, cool, and refreshing. I also gave this recipe an alternate contemporary look by stacking the strawberries on top of the cucumbers.

Yamuna Devi's cookbook is probably the first cookbook I bought when I moved to the US 30 years ago for my Ph.D. Over the years, I have cooked almost half the recipes. It is the cookbook that taught me technique and flavour profiles and always gave me a wonderful meal. This vegetarian cookbook is essential on any shelf; it is the bible of Indian vegetarian cuisine.

For more recipes from this amazing cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

3 baby cucumbers, peeled and cut into wedges

1 pack of strawberries, hulled, washed and quartered lengthwise

2 teaspoons lime juice

3 tablespoons orange juice

A handful of mint, torn roughly + more to garnish

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, spicy preferred

2 tablespoons walnut oil or olive oil

Salt, to taste

The simple way to serve this salad is to toss the ingredients in a bowl right before serving and garnish with the mint. Serve in a large bowl. I prefer not to make this salad ahead of time, as the cucumbers and fruit release juices that make the salad watery. Assemble just before serving.

Alternatively, for a more dressed-up version, cut the cucumbers into even short stacks and cut each stack into 1/2 or 1/4 longitudinally. Cut the strawberries in half horizontally. Arrange the cucumbers on a platter. Sprinkle some chilli powder, just a touch, on each stack. Arrange the strawberries on top of each cucumber. Drizzle with the juices. Serve garnished with torn mint.