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Fast and tasty
Achuchuk salad

Achuchuk Salad

A tasty, quick, simple vegetable salad! This salad with the unusual name "achuchuk" — which translates as "sharp knife" — comes to us from Uzbek cuisine. The name refers to the fact that all the vegetables — tomatoes and onion — are sliced very thinly for the salad, something you can only do with a sharp, well-honed knife. In its homeland, this very simple vegetable salad is usually served with pilaf. But it's a great complement to any hot meat dish. No dressing is used here, yet thanks to the vegetables' own juices, the salad turns out plenty juicy and tasty.

Snezhana

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Tomatoes

Onion

Hot chili pepper

Basil

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 14 % 1 g

Fats 0 % 0 g

Carbohydrates 86 % 6 g

30 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 20 min

Step 1:

The process is fast and simple — you can make this salad in just a few minutes. The flavor is at its best and most vibrant when made with freshly picked vegetables and herbs from your own garden. Peel the onion and slice it into very thin half-rings. To take the edge off any strong bitterness, you can cover the onion with cold water and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Step 2:

For this salad, use firm tomatoes with thin skin that aren't too ripe or soft, so they don't immediately turn to mush. Wash the tomatoes, pat them dry with paper towels, and cut them into very thin, small pieces.
Step 3:

Wash the chili pepper, remove the seeds, and finely chop it with a knife. If you don't have fresh chili on hand, you can safely swap in dried ground spices.
Step 4:

Put the tomatoes, onion, and chili pepper into a salad bowl.
Step 5:

Rinse the fresh basil thoroughly under running water, pat it dry with paper towels, finely chop it, and add it to the bowl of vegetables. Instead of basil, you can use other herbs, such as parsley and cilantro.
Step 6:

Put all the ingredients in a bowl, add salt, and toss. No vegetable oil, mayonnaise, or sour cream is used as a dressing for this salad. As you toss, the vegetables release their juices, which is enough to make the salad juicy and tasty. The result is a natural, healthy, spicy vegetable side that's perfect with shish kebab or fried or roasted meat. Enjoy!

Some home cooks even preserve this salad for the winter. Just pack the salad into pre-sterilized jars, process them in a water bath for 10 minutes, and seal. Then in winter you can enjoy this traditional Uzbek dish as a zesty appetizer.