Cucumber relish is a great option if you have excess or overgrown cucumbers to use up. It is a wonderful addition to a cheese platter, mixed into a potato salad or served with sausages in bread, at your classic Kiwi Summer BBQ. It can also be preserved for use throughout the year, and is amazing mixed together with Greek yoghurt, to create a side for curry dishes.
What you need:
1kg cucumber (any variety)
1 large (or 2 small) brown onions
1 capsicum - red or green, (or substitute 3 x jalapenos, or other fresh chillies, if you like a bit of heat)
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or substitute white vinegar)
1/4 cup coconut sugar (optional)
1 tbs coarsely ground sea salt
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 tsp ground coriander (or substitute ground cumin)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
What to do:
De-seed cucumber if preferred, then finely dice and place into a large pot. Sprinkle with sea salt. Finely dice onion and capsicum and place into the pot also, with 1/4 cup of filtered water. Note you can coarsely grate these vege instead if you wish, or use a food processor (be careful not to over-process).
Bring the pot to a simmer, then cook for 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and carefully strain the mix through a sieve or colander, discarding the liquid.
Return the vege to the pot and add the vinegar, sugar, and spices. Mix these together well, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for approx. 45 mins (or until the liquid has reduced), stirring occasionally.
Remove your relish from the heat and carefully spoon it into hot, clean jars. Let it cool to room temperature before placing into the refrigerator.
This recipe makes approx. 2-3 jars of relish and can easily be doubled if you want to make a bigger batch (you may need to increase cooking time accordingly).
Cucumber relish will keep well in the fridge for several weeks, or can be preserved using the water bath method, for long term storage.