Peel Cucumber if the skin is thick, halve it lengthways and scrape out the watery seeds with a spoon. Cut into small, even cubes about 0.5 cm across and tip into a wide bowl. Halve Tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds and cut the flesh into cubes the same size as the cucumber so every spoonful is even. Dice Red onions as fine as you can — smaller than the cucumber, so it seasons rather than crunches. Rinse the dice in a sieve under cold water and shake dry; that takes the raw burn out and leaves only sweetness.

⚠ Seeding is not optional: the seeds are what turn a Shirazi salad into a puddle.

⚠ A coarse onion dice dominates everything else in the bowl. Take the extra minute.

• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Red onions