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Crisp, refreshing, and filled with taste—this fast Asian cucumber salad will not be your common facet dish! It’s a vibrant appetizer made with just some easy elements: cucumber, sesame oil, and Asian spices. Excellent for brightening up any meal or as a scrumptious snack by itself!
The Finest Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
Cucumber has all the time been a favourite in Asian delicacies for me—it’s mild, contemporary, and so good for you. By itself, it may be a bit bland, however that’s what makes it the right canvas for a flavorful dressing just like the one on this recipe.
At any time when I need to combine issues up from the standard salads, this spicy Asian cucumber salad is my go-to. It’s crunchy, tangy, scrumptious, and has simply the correct amount of warmth to maintain issues thrilling!
I like making this spicy cucumber salad as a wholesome appetizer or a fast facet dish for busy weeknight dinners. It’s one of many best Asian salad recipes and it’s been a success with virtually 500 votes and a median score of 4.6!
Don’t overlook to take a look at my step-by-step video and tips about how you can make this Asian cucumber salad at dwelling! It’s the right information to recreating this simple, flavorful dish—whether or not you’re making it for a wholesome appetizer or a fast facet to your weeknight meals. I can’t wait so that you can give it a attempt!
“I simply made this for the primary time tonight and it’s scrumptious!! I made my very own chili oil which turned out superior. I’ll positively be making this once more as my cucumbers come on from the backyard. The candy and sizzling flavors are superb collectively :)”
– Linda
Easy, Crisp, And Completely Addictive
- Fast and straightforward. It solely takes 20 minutes to whip up, making it excellent for a last-minute facet dish!
- Tremendous mild but satisfying. No heavy dressings or creamy sauces right here—simply the contemporary crunch of cucumber! It’s nice as a facet to steadiness out a heavier principal course.
- Wholesome and nutritious. Cucumbers are low in energy and full of nutritional vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Plus, they’re about 96% water—an added bonus!
Need to preserve this even less complicated? You possibly can’t go fallacious with my Pickled Cucumber, or Sichuan Smashed Cucumber Salad.
Components You’ll Want
- Cucumber
- Vinegar
- Sesame Oil
- Chili powder and Chili Oil
Please confer with the recipe card on the backside of this publish for full particulars on every ingredient.
Professional Tip #1: Finest Cucumbers For This Salad
I like to make use of cucumbers with skinny skins and fewer seeds as a result of they’re much less watery and keep crisp within the salad. Persian cucumbers are my best choice, however burpless or Japanese cucumbers work rather well too.
Professional Tip #2: Recent Garlic Packs A Punch
Freshly minced garlic provides a pointy, aromatic kick that basically wakes up the salad. Pre-minced or powdered garlic gained’t give the identical daring, contemporary taste.
Professional Tip #3: Sweetness And Tang
I take advantage of apple cider vinegar right here, however rice wine vinegar works too. It provides a mild tang that balances the sweetness from the sugar and the warmth from the chili, giving the salad that traditional sweet-spicy-sour taste.
Professional Tip #4: Chili Powder And Chili Oil For Warmth
I take advantage of Korean chili powder for colour and a mild heat, and chili oil for a aromatic, savory warmth that coats the cucumber. You should use common chili powder if that’s what you may have readily available. Take a look at my Chili Oil recipe for a do-it-yourself model that’s cheaper, more energizing, and tremendous simple to make.
Professional Tip #5: Why I Add Sesame Oil
No Asian-style salad dressing feels full with out a little sesame oil. It provides that genuine nutty taste that makes the entire dish pop. Only a small drizzle goes a great distance, and it actually ties all of the flavors collectively. I by no means skip it!
Variations
- Protein increase. Flip this salad into a whole meal by including shrimp kebab or juicy boneless rooster breasts on prime. It’s a straightforward solution to make it heartier and extra satisfying.
- Purple onions. Add some thinly sliced onions for an additional crunch and burst of taste. It’s a easy contact, however it makes an enormous distinction.
- Korean-style. Prime off the salad with some kimchi for an genuine Korean twist.
- Thai-inspired. Combine in Thai candy chili sauce, chopped peanuts, cilantro, and a splash of lime juice to the dressing for a refreshing Thai Cucumber Salad.
- Yogurt-based. Rework this salad right into a Creamy Cucumber Salad by utilizing Greek plain yogurt, dill, and balsamic vinegar for a Greek/Mediterranean twist.
How To Make Spicy Cucumber Salad
The important thing to creating an important Asian cucumber salad lies within the dressing. My recipe is garlicky, spicy, and savory with only a contact of sweetness and tanginess. To not point out, it solely takes a couple of minutes to place collectively!
Rinse your cucumber rather well and slice it up. In the event you’re utilizing a greater cucumber, minimize it into half-moons so it’s simpler to eat and the dressing sticks higher.
Sprinkle the salt over the cucumber, give it a mild combine, and pop it into the fridge for about quarter-hour. This helps pull out further water and retains every thing good and crunchy. After chilling, drain out the water.
Professional Tip: Don’t skip this step. Salting the cucumber attracts out extra water so it stays further crisp. And don’t rinse off the salt. The tiny bit that’s left behind provides simply sufficient seasoning to make the salad style even higher.
Combine the garlic, vinegar, sugar, chili powder, chili oil, and sesame oil with the cucumbers. Stir till the sugar absolutely dissolves, then toss every thing collectively so each bit is properly coated.
End with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and it’s able to serve. Excellent facet dish, tremendous refreshing, and accomplished in minutes.
Sidenote: Personally, I like to stay the salad within the fridge for not less than half-hour earlier than serving. It lets the cucumbers take in all that taste, and belief me, it makes each chew so a lot better!
The Secret Ingredient
In the event you’re used to consuming spicy meals, then chili powder might be a staple in your pantry. However for a extra genuine Asian taste, I favor utilizing Korean chili powder or gochugaru on this salad recipe.
Gochugaru is produced from dried peppers, giving it these distinctive smoky and fruity flavors you gained’t discover in common chili powders. It’s not as spicy as common chili powder—there are differing kinds with various ranges of warmth.
It additionally provides an exquisite vivid purple colour to the salad, which makes it visually gorgeous. Plus, its coarse texture provides the dish an important mouthfeel and attraction.
You could find gochugaru at supermarkets, Asian grocery shops, or on-line. It’s positively price having readily available as a result of you need to use it in all types of recipes, not simply Asian dishes!
Continuously Requested Questions
Sure, Asian cucumber salad is a wholesome dish. It’s low in energy and excessive in vitamins, so that you gained’t really feel responsible indulging in it. The dressing used on this recipe can be made with mild elements resembling vinegar and sesame oil.
Because it’s a set quantity of salt, don’t rinse it off. Simply let the cucumbers drain in a colander or strainer. This retains all of the seasoning in and prevents the salad from getting too salty.
After all! Whereas chili and sesame oils do add numerous taste and depth to the salad, you may positively make it work with out them. Simply depart them out if you happen to favor a milder style, or if you happen to don’t have them readily available. The salad will nonetheless be refreshing and scrumptious with the opposite elements.
In the event you don’t have chili oil, you may nonetheless make it work! Simply skip the chili oil and use gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) or common chili flakes as a substitute. This may give your salad that warmth you’re in search of without having chili oil.
Completely! The sugar on this recipe helps steadiness the tanginess of the vinegar and the warmth from the chili flakes. In the event you discover it too candy, simply scale back the quantity to your liking. You possibly can all the time style as you go to get the steadiness excellent to your private desire.
It could final within the fridge for 1 to 2 days, however it’s finest served instantly. The longer it sits, the extra watery the salad turns into.
No, I don’t advocate freezing this salad because the cucumber will grow to be soggy and mushy when thawed.
This salad is 95 energy per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Don’t restrict your self to having fun with this salad solely with Asian-inspired dishes. It enhances a variety of principal programs, from proteins (resembling ginger soy rooster), easy rice and noodle dishes to absolutely anything else you may think about (resembling shoyu egg).
For a healthful and straightforward weeknight dinner, I like to recommend the next recipes:
I hope you take pleasure in this publish as a lot as I do. In the event you attempt my recipe, please depart a remark and contemplate giving it a 5-star score. For less difficult and scrumptious recipes, discover my Recipe Index, and keep up to date by subscribing to my e-newsletter and following me on Fb, Pinterest, and Instagram for brand new updates.
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Rinse the cucumber totally and slice it into items. In case your cucumber is giant, slice it into half-moons for simpler consuming.
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Add the salt, stir gently to mix, and chill within the fridge for quarter-hour. Drain the salt water after chilling.
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Add the garlic, vinegar, sugar, chili powder, chili oil, and sesame oil collectively, stir to combine nicely. Ensure that the sugar is totally dissolved. Toss nicely.
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Prime with sesame seeds and serve instantly.
Serving: 2individuals, Energy: 95kcal, Carbohydrates: 16.2g, Protein: 1.3g, Fats: 3.9g, Saturated Fats: 0.6g, Sodium: 889mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 11.6g
Diet data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
