I have known my BFF since kindergarten, and apart from finishing each other sentences, we are quite different in personality, likes and dislikes.

She hates sashimi while I love it
She can't drink while I drink like a fish
I cook, she does not
She is the smart one, I the lazy one
She is easy going with a lot of friends, I like my couch.

So, when BFF called to say she needed a dish to go with her mom's chicken curry, fried mee hoon for her CNY open house, I knew exactly what she needed - painless cooking.

This salad is a crowd pleaser, commonly seen at the Nasi Padang stalls and so easy to do in a home kitchen. Just need equal part of sugar and vinegar.

It is my favourite salad as it sweet and sour notes are so refreshing and a perfect accompaniment to spicy and curry dishes.

I have been using distilled vinegar for this recipe all these while as I find the local brand white vinegar too sharp for my taste bud and stomach.

You want to prepare this salad few hours (4 hours) before serving to allow the vegetable to steep in the vinegar and always serve cold.

Let's just say that we won't be expecting bruschetta from BFF for a while.


You will need:

2 Cucumbers
1 very ripe pineapple
1 red onion
1 fresh red chillies, sliced

1 cup of white distilled vinegar
1 cup white sugar
pinch of salt

Methods:

1. Washed, peeled cucumbers removed the seeds(optional) and sliced
2. Cut and remove core of pineapple, sliced into cubes
3. Peeled and cut onion into cubes
4. Combined vinegar, sugar and salt and stir until sugar fully dissolved in the mixture.
5. Mixed pineapple, onion, cucumbers and chillies in the vinegar sugar mixture, set aside in the fridge for at least 4 hours to allow the flavour to develop.

Cook's Notes:

• You may boil the vinegar briefly in a pot and add sugar, stir till dissolved. Let cool before you add in the rest of the ingredients.
• Do get good quality vinegar