Sambal Timun

Cucumber Cuts Tossed in Fresh Chilli Paste

My sisters insisted that I should not omit this old-fashioned side dish. It is hard to find this
nowadays, let alone have the recipe for it. My mother always had this at the tok panjang
during Chinese New Year, and I would avoid it because it included gizzards. Nonetheless,
its absence at our table now signify that a previous generation of true Nonyas, like
my mother, is fast disappearing and with it, some of the more traditional dishes.

My father taught me how to remove the bitterness of fresh cucumbers. You slice off
2 cm or an inch from the stem tip of the cucumber and use the same tip to rub against the
cut surface of the longer cucumber. Rub in a circular motion until a froth appears. Repeat
the same process with the other end of the cucumber. Rinse or wipe off the froth.

makes 4 to 6 servings

sambal

3 tablespoons dried shrimps, soaked
in hot water for 15 minutes, then
pat dry

2 red chillies

1 teaspoon belachan, roasted
until fragrant

2 tablespoons lime juice, preferably
from calamansi limes (limau kesturi)

2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt

salad

2 cucumbers
1 chicken liver (optional)
1 chicken gizzard (optional)

sambal

1.    Pound or grind the dried shrimps until it is fine.
Set aside.

2.    Pound or grind the red chillies until smooth, taking
care to stop and scrape the paste from the sides of the
bowl back to the middle before pounding again. Then
add the ground dried shrimps, followed by the belachan,
pausing now and then to scrape the sides.

3.    Add the lime juice, sugar and salt and adjust the
seasoning according to taste.

4.    Set aside in a bowl or store in a bottle if you do not
intend to use the paste immediately.

salad

1.    Rinse and pat dry the cucumbers. Remove the
bitterness of the cucumber by repeating the process
mentioned at the start of this recipe.

2.    You may skin the cucumber or leave as is. Then cut each
cucumber lengthwise into two halves. Use a small teaspoon
or a paring knife to scrape out the section containing seeds.
Slice the cucumber into 1.5 cm or ½ inch pieces.

3.    If you include the chicken liver and gizzard, boil them
first and let them cool. Then cut them into pieces about the
same size as the cucumber slices.

4.    Add sambal paste and toss together.

84  Growing Up in a  Nonya Kitchen ~ Chinese New Year