Ajat is the cool, sweet-sour relish served alongside satay and other rich grilled foods in Thailand: crisp cucumber, thin shallots, and red chile in a clear vinegar syrup. It is a relish, not a tossed salad — the vegetables sit briefly in syrup and stay crisp, and they are mixed with the syrup only just before serving.
Ingredients
Serves 4 as a side.
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 English cucumber (or 2 small cucumbers), quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 4 small shallots (or 1 small red onion), thinly sliced
- 1 long red chile (fresno or similar), thinly sliced — or 1 Thai bird’s eye chile for more heat
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves (optional)
Method
- Make the syrup: combine the sugar, vinegar, water, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. (The syrup can be made ahead and refrigerated in a jar.)
- While the syrup cools, slice the cucumber, shallots, and chile. Keep everything cold.
- Just before serving, put the cucumber, shallots, and chile in a serving bowl and pour over enough cooled syrup to barely cover the vegetables. Toss gently.
- Garnish with cilantro if using. Serve immediately at room temperature or lightly chilled.
Tips and ingredient notes
- This is a relish, not a tossed salad. Mix the vegetables with the syrup only just before serving — the acid softens and discolors them if they sit.
- Vinegar: distilled white vinegar is the standard across Thai sources. Rice vinegar gives a milder result — an acceptable variation, not the default.
- Cucumber: English/seedless cucumbers need no peeling or seeding. If using regular cucumbers, peel and scoop out the seeds so the relish does not go watery.
- Chile choice: long red chiles (fresno) give mild heat and color; Thai bird’s eye chiles make it genuinely spicy.
- Make-ahead limits: the syrup keeps refrigerated for weeks; the assembled relish does not — it goes soft within hours. Do not assemble ahead.
Storage and food safety
Allergen note: none inherent in this recipe. Standard produce handling applies: wash cucumbers and chiles, and refrigerate the assembled relish if not served immediately — do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours (FoodSafety.gov perishable guidance). The vinegar syrup is not a preservative at this dilution; treat it as a fresh salad.