Lebanese Cold Cucumber Salad | Leban Wa Khyar
When we are getting nothing but heat and humidity, I honestly don't feel like cooking. It's already hot outside and I don't really want to spend my time cooking something hot in an already hot kitchen. I don't know...maybe that's just me. But, when it's a full-fledged sauna outside, I go for dishes like this. Something that only requires a few ingredients. I don't have to cook it and bonus points are that it's refreshing and keeps me cool. This is a Lebanese-style cucumber salad that is served cold. As I mentioned, it only requires a few ingredients and comes together in a few minutes. If you ask me, the perfect dish for the summer heat.
REASONS YOU SHOULD TRY THIS RECIPE:
- great cold salad that is so refreshing for hot weather days
- great side dish for BBQs
- comes together in under ten minutes
- so healthy
Ingredients for laban wa khyar:
- Cucumbers– We use a Persian cucumber. They're thin and don't contain many seeds like the English cucumbers tend to.
- Garlic – We'll use freshly minced garlic for a nice kick.
- Dried Mint– You can use fresh, but we always use dried for convenience and the flavor isn't as strong.
- Salt– Self-explanatory.
- Ice cubes or cold water - Use to offset the kick of garlic, thin down, and cool down the mixture.
- Leban - Provides a nice tang and is the base of the salad. You find the recipe for homemade leban
HOW TO MAKE LABAN WA KHYAR:
- Wash and cut your cucumbers –Wash the cucumbers really well. No need to peel them. Cut the cucumbers into quarters and place them in a large bowl.
- Add garlic, salt, leban, and dried mint - We want to add in the rest of the ingredients at this point. Add in the freshly minced garlic, salt, leban, and dried mint, and then stir.
- Pour in ice cubes or ice-cold water- To thin the mixture down and cool it down, add either ice cubes or cold water and mix to combine.
- Serve immediately - After mixing, you can serve immediately or place it in the fridge for an hour to cool further and to allow the flavors to continue to develop. This is optional, however, as the salad is ready to go after mixing!
SOME MORE GREAT SALAD RECIPES:
Lebanese Cold Cucumber Salad | Leban Wa Khyar
A refreshing cucumber salad.
Ingredients
- 4 Persian cucumbers washed and quartered
- 1 ½ tablespoons dried mint
- 1.5 garlic cloves minced or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 8 tablespoons leban
- 6 ice cubes or 4-5 tablespoons ice-cold water depending on the consistency wanted
Instructions
- Wash and cut your cucumbers –Wash the cucumbers really well. No need to peel them. Cut the cucumbers into quarters and place them in a large bowl.
- Add garlic, salt, leban, and dried mint - We want to add in the rest of the ingredients at this point. Add in the freshly minced garlic, salt, leban, and dried mint, and then stir.
- Pour in ice cubes or ice-cold water- To thin the mixture down and cool it down, add either ice cubes or cold water and mix to combine.
- Serve immediately - After mixing, you can serve immediately or place it in the fridge for an hour to cool further and to allow the flavors to continue to develop. This is optional, however, as the salad is ready to go after mixing!
Video
Notes
Serve immediately or refrigerate for one hour. The quality will diminish the longer it sits.
