Radish Salad with Dried Mint

I make variations of this simple salad all summer. You can tweak the recipe with whatever fresh produce is available. Even the dried mint can be substituted with fresh cilantro or parsley. It is a staple recipe that is a terrific complement to any grilled meat or fish dish.

Ingredients 

10–12 Radishes, trimmed, cut in half, and thinly sliced*
2 medium Yellow Peppers, diced
1 large Cucumber, peeled and diced
1½ tbsp Dried Mint, crushed
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1/8 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
2–3 fresh Green Chillies, minced
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea Salt (to taste)

1. In a large bowl, mix radish, peppers, and cucumber with dried mint, coriander, black pepper, green chillies, and lemon juice, and mix well. Store in a fridge for 30 mins to chill. 
2. Remove from fridge, add salt, toss well and serve immediately. 

 *TIP: Do not throw away the lovely green tops of the radishes! Reserve them for a bonus side dish—served raw as a salad (dressed simply with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper), or as a warm side dish.

Cucumber Radish Salad with Ginger and Green Chillis

This is a wonderfully fresh and colourful salad that complements a lot of roasted and grilled meats and kebabs. I dished out my mandoline and sliced the cucumber and radish super-thin with the skin on. The resulting translucent discs ringed with jewel-toned red and green, showcased the bright note of the ginger and heat of the green chilli beautifully. The recipe works equally well as a crunchy relish if you finely dice the cucumber and radish instead of slicing it. I add the salt just before serving to prevent the water in the vegetables from being leached.

Ingredients 

1 large Cucumber
8–10 small Radishes
1-inch piece Ginger, peeled and grated
4–6 Green Chillis, finely chopped
1/8 cup Parsley, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
1/8 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
Salt (to taste)

1. Slice the cucumbers and radishes as thin as possible with the skin on, preferably with a mandoline. Alternately, you can finely dice the vegetables.
2. In a large bowl, mix cucumber and radishes with the rest of the ingredients, except salt, and toss well. Store in a fridge for 30 mins to chill. 
3. Remove from fridge, add salt, toss well and serve immediately.