KkinionEveryday home cooking
Tomato Cucumber Salad for One: Cutting Sizes and Mixing Order
Cooking for yourself? When making a small salad with half a cucumber and one tomato, check the size of the vegetables and remove excess water before increasing the dressing. Cut the tomato into bite-size pieces, slice the cucumber thinly and the onion even thinner, then combine just before eating.
Before cooking for one
Start with an ingredient you already have, then check the recipe's full ingredient list, quantities and equipment before choosing your meal. For a solo meal, use its one-serving quantities.
If you are making other dishes too, prepare this salad up to the chopping stage, then toss it just before sitting down to eat. First, separate the tasks of washing and cutting the vegetables from mixing the dressing. It may seem like a dish made with only cucumber and tomato, but it also needs onion, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Read the full ingredient list before you start so you do not have to stop midway to look for a seasoning you are missing.
What to Take from the Fridge and Check in the Pantry
This recipe is based on 1 serving in Kkinion. The actual amount may vary depending on the size of the vegetables.
- Tomato: 1 medium-sized
- Cucumber: ½ medium
- Onion: ⅛ medium
- Olive oil: ½ household eating spoon
- Lemon juice: ½ household eating spoon
- Salt: 1 pinch
⅛ of an onion is a piece made by cutting an onion in half, then cutting that half in half, and halving it once more. Measure the olive oil and lemon juice with the same spoon. Spoon sizes vary from home to home, so we do not convert them to an exact mL amount.
Set out a knife, cutting board, a colander to drain the vegetables, and a bowl for tossing. This recipe needs onion and seasonings as well as cucumber and tomato, so it helps to check for everything before you start.
Slice the Crisp Ingredients Thinly and the Tender Ones into Bite-Size Pieces
Wash the tomato, remove the stem, and cut it into pieces about 2 cm in size. Place the cut side down on the board to make it more stable than slicing it while it is round.
Wash the cucumber, cut it lengthwise in half, then slice it about 5 mm thick. Rather than cutting it to the same size as the tomato, make the slices a little thinner so it is easy to pick up and eat them together.
Slice the onion about 2 mm thick, rinse it in cold water for 30 seconds, then drain it in a colander. Separate the strands so you do not end up chewing several layers of onion in one bite.
Pause to check: if water collects at the bottom of the bowl when you transfer the washed vegetables, drain off any remaining rinse water instead of adding more dressing. Draining the vegetables first keeps the dressing you have prepared from becoming unnecessarily watery.
Toss Lightly Just Before Sitting Down to Eat
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl. Add the prepared vegetables and toss gently, lifting the ingredients from the bottom to the top. Use a light touch so you do not press and crush the tender tomato.
If you are still preparing other dishes, keep the vegetables and dressing separate and combine them just before eating. This helps preserve the vegetables' texture better than tossing them well in advance and letting them sit.
When you plate the salad, pick up a piece of tomato and cucumber together and taste a bite. This is a better way to check the seasoning as you will actually eat it than tasting the dressing on its own.
Open the tomato cucumber salad recipe in the app
Recipe basis: Kkinion “Tomato Cucumber Salad” v4, 1 serving. Newly adapted from the ingredients and preparation instructions in the app recipe. Original reference: Good Food Greek salad.
For Your Next Plate, Try a Different Recipe with Beans
If you have cucumber and tomato left over, you could also compare this with chickpea cucumber salad. Instead of adding beans by eye to the salad you already made, check the bean quantity and dressing amount in a separate recipe. Even with the same vegetables, changing the main ingredient and proportions changes how the dish is eaten.
Continue with an Actual Recipe
Continue with the ingredient amounts and cooking steps in Chickpea cucumber salad: draining and measuring canned chickpeas.
Make It with a Kkinion Recipe
Below are the full ingredients and cooking steps for “Tomato Cucumber Salad.” First choose the amount for the number of people you are making it for, then follow the preparation and cooking guidance in each step.
Recipe Ingredients
Tomato Cucumber Salad · Estimated 8 minutes · Equipment: knife and bowl
Choose one of the two amounts below to prepare, depending on how many people you are making it for.
- Tomato: for 1 serving, 1 medium / for 2 servings, 2 medium
- Cucumber: for 1 serving, 0.5 medium / for 2 servings, 1 medium
- Onion: for 1 serving, 0.125 medium / for 2 servings, 0.25 medium
- Olive oil: for 1 serving, 0.5 household eating spoon / for 2 servings, 1 household eating spoon
- Lemon juice: for 1 serving, 0.5 household eating spoon / for 2 servings, 1 household eating spoon
- Salt: for 1 serving, 1 pinch / for 2 servings, 2 pinches
Full Cooking Instructions
Step 1. Wash the tomato, remove the stem, and cut it into pieces 2 cm in size.
Check: 1 medium-sized tomato is for 1 serving. Cut it in half and place the flat side on the cutting board to make it less slippery. Shake off the water from the washed vegetables.
Step 2. Wash the cucumber, cut it lengthwise in half, then slice it 5 mm thick. Peel and slice the onion 2 mm thick, rinse it in cold water for 30 seconds, then place it in a colander to drain.
Check: the amounts below are for the serving count you selected. Use the same household eating spoon; do not fill it to the brim with liquids or heap thick ingredients. ⅛ of an onion is one piece made by halving it three times.
Step 3. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl, then add the vegetables. Toss lightly just before eating.
Check: measure with the same household eating spoon. Do not fill it to the brim with liquids or heap thick ingredients. A pinch is the amount lightly picked up between the tips of your thumb and index finger. For 1 serving, use a bowl about 16 cm in diameter. Drain the vegetables so the dressing does not become watery.
Check the tomato cucumber salad ingredients and cooking steps
The images in the article are newly generated AI images based on the Kkinion recipe linked to this post. The main image is also an AI-generated example. These are not photos of actual cooking or tasting, and the portions or finished appearance may differ.