Description
This refreshing Asian Cucumber Salad combines crunchy cucumbers with a flavorful marinade of soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil, and fragrant sesame oils. Perfect as a light side dish or appetizer, it features a beautiful spiral cut technique and a quick pickling with salt to bring out the perfect balance of tangy, spicy, and savory notes in just 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables
- 5 pcs cucumbers
- 2 to 3 tbsp green onion, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic, crushed
Seasonings & Sauces
- 3 tsp granulated white sugar
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tsp rice vinegar
- 3 tsp Chinese chili oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tsp salt
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients: Bring together all the ingredients needed for the Asian cucumber salad to have everything ready before starting.
- Prepare Marinade: In a bowl, combine the sugar, sesame seeds, crushed garlic, and chopped green onion. Stir in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, Chinese chili oil, and sesame oil until well blended. Set this flavorful marinade aside.
- Prepare Cucumbers: Cut off both ends of each cucumber. Place the cucumber between a pair of chopsticks to prevent the knife from slicing all the way through, allowing you to create a spiral shape with diagonal cuts going down the length of the cucumber.
- Create Spiral Cuts: Flip the cucumber with the smooth side facing up, then make perpendicular cuts to the initial diagonal cuts. Repeat this spiral cutting technique on all cucumbers to enhance texture and appearance.
- Salt and Massage Cucumbers: Place the cucumber spirals in a bowl and sprinkle evenly with salt. Gently massage the salt into the cucumbers and let them sit for 8 to 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture and soften the texture.
- Rinse The Cucumbers: After the resting time, rinse the cucumbers thoroughly with cold water to remove excess salt and prevent them from becoming overly salty.
- Toss with Marinade: Pour the prepared Asian marinade over the rinsed cucumbers. Mix well to ensure that the cucumbers are evenly coated with the flavorful dressing. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Use Persian or English cucumbers for thinner skins and fewer seeds if available.
- The chili oil heat can be adjusted to taste or substituted with chili flakes for a different spice texture.
- Massaging the cucumbers with salt helps them release water, keeping the salad crisp without becoming soggy.
- Letting the salad sit in the fridge for 10-15 minutes after tossing with the marinade will deepen flavors.
- For a gluten-free version, use tamari in place of soy sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (including resting time of cucumbers)
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: Asian cucumber salad, spicy cucumber salad, cucumber marinade, healthy Asian salad, quick salad recipe
