Name: Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: ½ bunch cilantro; 1 small shallot, finely chopped; 1 garlic clove, finely grated; 2 Thai chiles, finely chopped; ¼ cup tamarind concentrate; 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice; 2 tsp. fish sauce; 6 medium Persian cucumbers or 1 large English hothouse cucumber, some peel removed in thin alternating strips, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced on a diagonal; 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved; Kosher salt; Store-bought fried shallots and coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts (for serving); Tamarind concentrate, often labeled “concentrate cooking tamarind,” can be found at Asian and Thai markets or online. We like Tamicon Tamarind Concentrate ($7; thespicehouse.com).

Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Salad recipe from Union Hmong

Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Rose Daniels and Yia Vang

Spicy, funky, and sweet, this side dish plays on the vibrant flavors of Thai papaya salad with the unexpected addition of tamarind. This recipe is from chef Yia Vang of Union Hmong Kitchen in Minneapolis.

Recipe notes