Goen Hogay

Ingredients

The cucumber

• 2large cucumbers
• about 700 g
• peeled if the skin is tough
• sliced or cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoonsalt, for drawing water

The rest

• 1small onion, finely sliced
• or 3 shallots
• 2to 4 green chillies
• finely chopped, to taste
• 100 gdatshi
• the fresh Bhutanese cheese
• or feta, or a fresh curd
• crumbled
• a large handful of coriander
• chopped

The dressing

• 1 tablespoonoil
• or a little mustard oil
• juice of half a lime
• or 1 tablespoon vinegar
• half a teaspoon salt
• or to taste
• a quarter teaspoon thingye
• Bhutanese Sichuan pepper, ground
• or Sichuan pepper, optional
• black pepper

Sometimes added

• 1tomato, diced
• a little grated ginger
• a pinch of chilli powder
• for colour

To serve

• alongside red rice
• with ema datshi or another curry
• with ezay on the table

Directions

1. Reduce the chillies if you need to. Datshi is a fresh soft cheese from cow or yak milk. Salt the cucumber and let it drain. Slice or chunk it and put it in a colander. Toss it with a teaspoon of salt. Let it sit for twenty to thirty minutes. Salting first prevents all of that.
2. Rinse the cucumber briefly under cold water. Or do not, if you like it saltier. Add less salt to the dressing than you would. Halve them and scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Small firm cucumbers need no seeding.
3. Peel if the skin is thick or waxed. Leave it on for colour and crunch if it is thin. Slice it into rounds, or cut it into chunks. Slice it very finely. Soaking the slices in cold water for ten minutes softens that. Drain and dry them before adding. That is a useful trick if you find raw onion strong.
4. Chop them finely. Remove the seeds for less heat. Wear gloves if you are sensitive. Put the drained cucumber in a bowl. Add the sliced onion and chopped chillies.
5. Add the tomato if you are using it. Add the oil, lime juice and seasonings. Toss it gently. Crumble the cheese over and fold it in. Fold rather than stir. Add most of it and keep a little back. Scatter the rest over at the end.
6. Taste and adjust the salt and lime. It should be sharp, hot and fresh. Serve it at room temperature or cool. Serve it alongside red rice.
7. Serve it with ema datshi or another curry. Serve ezay on the table as well. Everyone takes from all of them. Drain it and refresh it with lime if you keep it. Prepare the components ahead and combine at the last minute.

Technique

• Salt the cut cucumber and let it drain in a colander for twenty to thirty minutes, then pat it dry. Unsalted cucumber releases its water into the dressing, leaving the salad sitting in a pool with soggy cheese and diluted seasoning. This single step decides the dish — and account for that salt when you season.
• Dress it shortly before serving, about fifteen minutes ahead. The cucumber softens in dressing and the crunch is the point; an hour later it is a different thing.
• Scrape the seeds out of large cucumbers with a spoon. That watery centre is a good part of the liquid problem.
• Fold the cheese in rather than stirring. You want visible crumbled pieces; stirring hard turns it to paste.
• Slice the onion very finely — coarse pieces dominate a salad this small. If you find raw onion harsh, soaking the slices in cold water for ten minutes softens it; that is untraditional and harmless.
• This is genuinely hot as well as fresh. Calling it the cooling element is only half true — Bhutanese food is hot throughout, and the contrast here is texture and rawness rather than mildness.
• Feta is the nearest substitute for datshi but saltier, so cut back the added salt. Any mild fresh crumbling curd works; ricotta needs draining or it wets the salad.
• Thingye, the Bhutanese Sichuan pepper, gives a citrus aroma and numbing tingle quite distinct from chilli heat, and the two together are the characteristic Bhutanese sensation. Sichuan pepper substitutes closely.
• Mustard oil is sold labelled for external use only in the EU, UK and US, and is not approved there as a cooking oil, because of its erucic acid content. That labelling is a regulatory fact; the human evidence behind it is less settled than the label implies and hundreds of millions cook with it daily. The atlas states the position without arguing with it, and any neutral oil makes a good salad.
• Wear gloves with the chillies if you are sensitive and do not rub your eyes afterwards. Capsaicin clings to skin for hours.
• Bhutan treats chilli as a vegetable rather than a seasoning — ema datshi, whole chillies cooked in cheese, is the national dish. Visitors consistently underestimate the heat, so start with fewer chillies than the recipe says if you are unsure.

Substitutions

• Feta, paneer or any mild fresh curd replaces datshi; drain ricotta well.
• Any neutral oil replaces mustard oil where mustard oil is labelled for external use.
• Vinegar replaces lime juice and is used in some households.
• Sichuan pepper replaces thingye closely; both are optional.
• Tomato, grated ginger or a pinch of chilli powder can all be added.
• Radish or green papaya can replace some of the cucumber for a firmer salad.

Variations

• Ezay, the pounded chilli relish with cheese, uses the same flavours as a condiment.
• Ema datshi, whole chillies cooked in cheese, is the national dish these sides accompany.
• Hogay made with radish rather than cucumber is a common variation.
• Kewa datshi, potato with cheese, is the milder everyday curry.
• Shakam paa, dried beef with chillies, is the meat dish served at the same table.
• Nepali and Tibetan cucumber salads made with chilli and lime are close regional relatives.

Frequently asked questions

What is Goen Hogay?

Goen Hogay is a salad & side from Bhutan: cucumber salad with chilli, onion, coriander and crumbled datshi cheese.

How long does Goen Hogay take to make?

Goen Hogay takes 15 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4 as a side. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Goen Hogay?

Yes, within limits. Feta, paneer or any mild fresh curd replaces datshi; drain ricotta well. Any neutral oil replaces mustard oil where mustard oil is labelled for external use. Vinegar replaces lime juice and is used in some households. Sichuan pepper replaces thingye closely; both are optional. Tomato, grated ginger or a pinch of chilli powder can all be added. Radish or green papaya can replace some of the cucumber for a firmer salad.

What is the most important thing to get right in Goen Hogay?

Rinse the cucumber briefly under cold water. Or do not, if you like it saltier. Add less salt to the dressing than you would. Halve them and scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Small firm cucumbers need no seeding.