Mizeria is a Polish cucumber salad. It's super simple, creamy & very refreshing. Ever so slightly sweet & sour & with heaps of fresh dill, it's just divine! Perfect little side dish you'll want to make again and again.
If you're looking for perfect and cooling summer side dish then look no further than Mizeria aka Polish Cucumber Salad.
Recently, I've been feeling this sort of nostalgic need to revisit some of my childhood favourite foods. For those of you who might not know, I'm Polish, born and raised in Poland and have now been living in the UK for the past 20 years.
One of such foods for me is mizeria which we used to make with cucumbers my grandparents grew on their allotment which we would then cover in sauce made with sour cream or kefir, vinegar, sugar and lots of fresh dill. Heaven!
Back in the day when cucumbers were a summer only veg, mizeria was such a treat to have on a hot summer's day to accompany our dinner.
I still cannot really make myself to have it at any other time of year but summer, despite the fact that nowadays we have cucumbers coming out of our ears all year round. It's just not the same and I think I'll continue my mizeria sentiment...
These days I make my mizeria plant based and it still tastes as good as I remember.
But to the recipe now...
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and easy to make summer side dish.
- Vegan and dairy-free.
- Cooling and refreshing on hot summer's day.
- Perfect way of using up a glut of cucumbers.
- Uses simple, everyday ingredients.
📝 Ingredients
Here's what you will need to make Mizeria:
Cucumber - I used here long English style cucumber here but any cucumber such as ridge or mini cucumbers will be absolutely fine here. If using ridge cucumbers I would recommend peeling them as they're quite thick skinned and mizeria won't taste as nice.
Vegan Yogurt & Soya Cream - I use both to imitate the flavour and consistency of sour cream and kefir we used to make mizeria when I was growing up. I must say it's a perfect combo. Any plain vegan yogurt and vegan single cream will be fine.
Apple Cider Vinegar - For acidity. You can substitute it with lemon juice.
Maple Syrup - I use it here instead of sugar but you can use any liquid sweetener you like - honey (if not vegan), agave syrup etc. Together with vinegar it will give us that sweet and sour notes we're after.
Fresh Dill - For me it's a must with mizeria but I know people who use chives, onion or keep their mizeria completely plain. It's up to you. I always use dill and might also sprinkle over some chopped chives on top.
Salt - I use some salt to draw the water out of my cucumber slices before mixing them with the sauce. This way it won't seep into the sauce making it watery.
🥒 To peel or not to peel?
We always used to peel cucumbers for mizeria, it was just what we did.
These days it differs for me and sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, mostly it depends on the type of cucumber(s) I'm using.
I would definitely recommend peeling if using a cucumber with a really thick skin like ridge cucumbers but other than that it's up to you.
If you want a traditional Polish cucumber salad experience than I would say do peel!
🔪 Instructions
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Wash your cucumber(s) well and decide whether you want to peel them or leave the skin on.
Slice the cucumber(s) into thin slices using box grater, mandoline slicer, food processor or alternatively a knife.
Transfer cucumber slices into a sieve and sprinkle over couple of generous pinches of salt (½ tsp).
Place the sieve over a bowl and leave to sit for 10-15 minutes for salt to draw water from the cucumber (you will see it collect in the bowl).
As you wait prepare the sauce by mixing together vegan yogurt, cream, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup.
Taste and adjust the quantities of vinegar and syrup to suit your taste.
***Quick Tip*** The sauce is sweet and sour but you might prefer more sour flavour or more sweet so always taste and adjust the quantities until you're 100% happy.
Discard the cucumber water, add cucumber slices to the bowl and mix in prepared sauce and chopped, fresh dill.
Taste and adjust seasoning if required with salt and pepper although be careful with salt as we've already salted cucumbers.
Taste again to make sure you are happy with all the flavours and serve.
🥡 Storing
Mizeria is best served and enjoyed straight away.
If you have any leftovers, keep them in the fridge and use within 1 day.
You will notice mizeria getting a bit watery the longer it's left so you might need to drain the excess watery liquid and add more sauce mixture to make it creamy again.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
When I was growing up mizeria would be served alongside any type of potato and meat dish.
Fast forward to today and we enjoy it with simple dishes like my kohlrabi schnitzel, vegan quiche, vegan vegetable fritters or portobello mushroom burgers.
You could also try it with my baked beetroot falafel, miso glazed aubergine (different cuisines but it works so well) or with vegan tofu fish.
If you are after a really simple serving suggestion, try it with boiled new potatoes dotted with some vegan butter and more fresh dill. You cannot beat simplicity and flavour!
💭 Pro tips
Depending on the amount of mizeria you're making you might want to scale up your sauce. It's definitely better to have a lot of it rather than not enough.
If your cucumber is particularly watery due to large seeds, you might want to cut it in half and scrape the seeds out with the spoon before slicing.
Taste, taste, taste and adjust seasoning and sweet and sour tones of your mizeria as per your preference.
It's best made with new season's, locally grown cucumbers.
Don't skip salting the cucumber part as it's essential to making mizeria less watery.
❓ FAQ
It's entirely up to you but I would say thin to medium thin would be best. You really don't want thick slices.
Again, up to you. I would recommend peeling cucumbers with thick skins as well as non-organic ones. Other than that, it's personal preference.
The longer it sits, the soggier it will get, hence it's best to enjoy it straight away. Salting cucumber slices to draw the water out ahead of time, definitely helps. See - Storing above for more details.
Have you tried my Mizeria recipe?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
😋 More delicious side dishes
Easy Vegan Tzatziki
Baked Polenta Chips
Salsa Verde Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Easy Turmeric Rice
📋 Recipe
Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad)
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber or few smaller cucumbers
- 2 tbsp (heaped) plain vegan soya yogurt
- 2 tablespoon vegan cream
- 1-2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or to taste
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup or to taste
- handfull fresh dill (leaves only) finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt for sprinkling over cucumber slices
- Salt, pepper to taste
- chives optional
Instructions
- Wash your cucumber(s) well and decide whether you want to peel them or leave the skin on. Slice the cucumber(s) into thin slices using box grater, mandoline slicer, food processor or alternatively a knife.1 English cucumber
- Transfer cucumber slices into a sieve and sprinkle over couple of generous pinches of salt (½ tsp). Place the sieve over a bowl and leave to sit for 10-15 minutes for salt to draw water from the cucumber (you will see it collect in the bowl).½ teaspoon salt
- As you wait prepare the sauce by mixing together vegan yogurt, cream, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup.Taste and adjust the quantities of vinegar and syrup to suit your taste. The sauce is sweet and sour but you might prefer more sour flavour or more sweet so always taste and adjust the quantities until you're 100% happy.2 tablespoon (heaped) plain vegan soya yogurt, 2 tablespoon vegan cream, 2 teaspoon maple syrup, 1-2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Discard the cucumber water, add cucumber slices to the bowl and mix in prepared sauce and chopped, fresh dill. Taste and adjust seasoning if required with salt and pepper although be careful with salt as we've already salted cucumbers.handfull fresh dill (leaves only), Salt, pepper
- Taste again to make sure you are happy with all the flavours and serve with sone extra dill or chives on top.chives
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving based on 4 servings and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- Best enjoyed immediately and leftovers should be consumed within 1 day.
- Not suitable for freezing.
- Depending on the amount of mizeria you're making you might want to scale up your sauce. It's definitely better to have a lot of it rather than not enough.
- If your cucumber is particularly watery due to large seeds, you might want to cut it in half and scrape the seeds out with the spoon before slicing.
- Taste, taste, taste and adjust seasoning and sweet and sour tones of your mizeria as per your preference.
- It's best made with new season's, locally grown cucumbers.
- Don't skip salting the cucumber part as it's essential to making mizeria less watery.
- You will notice mizeria getting a bit watery the longer it's left so you might need to drain the excess watery liquid and add more sauce mixture to make it creamy again.
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