What is Asian Cucumber Salad?
Asian cucumber salad adds a sweet and sour flare to traditional cucumber salad. It uses a soy sauce and vinegar base and typically adds in additional flavors such as sugar, sriracha, garlic, and sesame seed oil. LET’S BE FRIENDS ON PINTEREST! WE’RE ALWAYS PINNING TASTY RECIPES The result is a slightly savory cucumber salad that goes great with a number of different entrees. It makes a great companion on picnics or an easy lunch or side any day of the week.
Ingredients to make the best Asian cucumber salad
When you want to make the best Asian cucumber salad, here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:
Persian or Japanese cucumbers - Stores may refer to these as “mini cucumbers.” You could use long English cucumbers in a pinch if that is all you can find.Roasted peanuts- Handful!Rice vinegar - If you can’t find rice vinegar, a white wine vinegar or regular distilled vinegar can work.Sesame oil - This adds a nice, earthy flavor, but you could use another oil if you cannot find this. Just note, it will change the flavor slightly, so we highly recommend using sesame oil.Soy sauce - You could use tamari instead if you need to keep gluten free. Garlic - We use freshly crushed or minced garlic, but you could sub in pre-cut versions if you prefer.Sugar - you can use any sugar of your choice.Sriracha - This adds heat when added so add as much or little heat as you like.Toasted sesame seed - This provides some flavor and crunch to the salad.Thai red chili - This also adds heat to the cucumber salad.Salt
Why our Asian cucumber salad is the best!
We love Asian cucumber salad! It is super simple and does not require a lot of prep work, which makes it an easy side dish to bring to a gathering or to serve with your favorite dinners. Our cucumber salad has a slightly sweet and sour flavor. It is also slightly spicy, which makes it great for anyone who likes to add a little heat to their meal. But since cucumbers are at its base, it still has a cool, refreshing effect that will please even your toughest critics.
How to make
Follow these easy steps when you are ready to make cucumber salad with an Asian flare:
First, slice the cucumbers into 1/4-inch pieces. Next, place the slices in a bowl and toss with the salt to help them release water, but don’t let them sit for more than 10 minutes or they will start to break down.Once the salt has released some of the moisture, rinse with cold water at least 3 to 4 times to completely remove the salt. Finally, strain and set aside.
Next, combine the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl including all the other ingredients except for the peanuts.Add the dressing to the cucumbers and toss to combine and finally top with crushed roasted peanut, sesame seeds, and Thai red chili.
Pro tips and tricks
If you want some easy tips and tricks to make Asian cucumber salad, then you’ll want to check out these simple ideas:
Refrigerate for around 30 minutes and serve coldWash the cucumbers thoroughly to remove debris and the saltDo not keep it with the salt for more than 10 minutes to prevent the cucumber from breaking downScore the flesh of each cucumber slice with the tines of a fork and more so the flavorful Asian cucumber salad dressing will adhere to each slice.
How to cut cucumber for Asian cucumber Salad
When we cut the cumber for our Asian cucumber salad, we make roughly uniform ¼ inch slices. You can make them thicker or thinner based on your tastes. We also like to score the sides with a fork prior to cutting them. This gives them a bit a “gear” look and helps the dressing stay on them. Other variations for slicing including dicing them into cubes or peeling the cucumbers before slicing.
How to serve
We love to serve cucumber salad cold from the fridge, so we will often let it chill there for at least 30 minutes before serving. The Asian cucumber salad makes a great, refreshing side dish for your favorite Asian-inspired entrees. You can also serve it as a snack or quick and easy lunch option. Some other great tasting Asian recipes to try with the cucumber salad or on their own include:
Garlic NoodlesAsian Quinoa SaladGinger-Garlic EggplantAsian Orange Cauliflower
Can I prepare the dressing in advance?
Yes! You can prepare the dressing in advance and store it for about 5 to 6 days in the fridge. When you are ready, you can toss the dressing with freshly cut cucumbers to make the Asian cucumber salad.
Why is my cucumber salad watery?
Often, a cucumber salad turns out watery because the cucumber leaks out water once the dressing is added due to the salt. To stop this from happening, we recommend covering the cucumber slices in salt and letting them sit for about 5 minutes before rinsing them off. Allowing them to rest in salt helps to draw out the water that would otherwise come out once it is sitting in dressing.
Let us know what you think
If you make this delicious recipe, let us know how it went! When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!
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I am a mother of 2 energetic boys, referred to as R2 (15-year-old) and R3 (10-year-old) on the blog. In case you are wondering who is R1, well that is my husband.
