Cucumber & Tomato Carpaccio (Composed Vegetable Salad)

A salad by a fancy name...........Carpaccio has come to denote a thinly sliced composed salad. Although originally made with raw meat, nowadays it is made with all types of veggies. Cucumber and Tomato Carpaccio is one of the tastiest, healthiest, and simplest of salads which I love to make it often. All you need are fresh ingredients and the salad goes together very quickly - slice everything, squeeze the lime over, sprinkle with a bit of salt and herbs, and viola! you have a salad fit for fine dining! I have included Jalapeno chili in the recipe but you can omit it if you prefer a mild salad. This is a typical Indian salad using tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers; other favorite veggies such as fresh fennel (finocchio), jicama, carrots, beets, etc can be used as you wish.

I typically use cilantro for this salad; but other herbs such as Italian or flat-leaf parsley, thyme, oregano, chervil, marjoram, etc can be used singly or in your favorite combination. I don't add any oil at all to this salad but you may use a little extra virgin olive oil or other salad dressings if you wish.

4 Servings - actually this is an eat as much as you like food so I am not calculating the caloric content. It does have plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Ingredients:

4 Persian or 1 English or Japanese cucumber
2 Plum Tomatoes
1 Jalapeno Chili (optional)
2 Shallots or 1/2 small Red Onion
1 small bunch Cilantro or your favorite herbs
1/2 Lime or to taste
Coarse Sea Salt to taste

Method:

Wash well and dry all the veggies. Cut them into paper thin slices using a sharp knife, mandolin, or a food processor.

Jalapeno chilies can be mild or hot; check to see which type you have. If you prefer the salad to be mild, you can remove the core with a teaspoon and then cut the chili into paper-thin slices. Or you can omit the chili altogether.

Layer the veggies prettily on a platter.

Sprinkle the lime juice over all.

Sprinkle the salt over the veggies.

Cover and let the veggies marinate for about 15 minutes.

Garnish with the cilantro or other herbs and serve. Delicious!

This salad is perfect to serve with all types of rice dishes and dals - especially Chole, in fact pretty much every meal :D. Enjoy!