Prepare veggies: Wash cucumbers. Trim away and discard the very ends, then divide in half lengthwise. Cut into ½-inch pieces. Transfer to a large salad bowl. Add garlic and ginger. Cover and refrigerate until later or continue.
Prepare dressing: Place vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and lemon juice into a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Toast sesame seeds: Spill sesame seeds into a skillet warmed over medium heat. Toast sesame seeds until golden.
Finish salad: Spill dressing over cucumbers followed by chili flakes, sesame seeds and cilantro. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Asian Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
3 English cucumbers
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
juice of half a lemon or lime
Garnish:
½ teaspoon chili flakes
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
fresh cilantro, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
Directions
Prepare veggies: Wash cucumbers. Trim away and discard the very ends, then divide in half lengthwise. Cut into ½-inch pieces. Transfer to a large salad bowl. Add garlic and ginger. Cover and refrigerate until later or continue.
Prepare dressing: Place vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and lemon juice into a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Toast sesame seeds: Spill sesame seeds into a skillet warmed over medium heat. Toast sesame seeds until golden.
Finish salad: Spill dressing over cucumbers followed by chili flakes, sesame seeds and cilantro. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Asian Cucumber Salad
5 / 5. 2
Crunchy cucumbers tossed in a flavourful Asian dressing and finished with sprinkles of toasted sesame seeds, cilantro and spicy chili flakes…
Your next must-make recipe is this ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD.
Prepare to fall in love with this ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD – everyone always does. Not only is it super simple to make, but it’s also extremely tasty. It can be enjoyed on its own or paired with a favourite main course. With all that going for it, don’t expect much in terms of leftovers. This salad disappears soon after being served. Funny, how that happens with really good food, eh?
Here’s how to make the absolute best ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD recipe:
INGREDIENTS
It might look like there are lots of ingredients needed to make this salad, but most are easily whisked together to make the dressing for this salad. A few more ingredients are optional flavour boosters. The real takeaway is easy-to-find ingredients from your local grocery store that come together in no time to create a stellar salad.
If this is your first time making an Asian-inspired recipe, look for things like soy sauce, seasoned rice wine vinegar and toasted sesame oil in the international or Asian food section of your local grocer’s. Note, there are no peanuts in this recipe so it is nut-free, and if you’d like to make the salad gluten-free, look for Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Soy Sauce.
CUCUMBERS
Lemme just say we’ve never met a cucumber we didn’t like. We love cucumbers. Repeat visitors to WATC know we’ve used American slicing, Persian cucumbers and field cucumbers for our famous SOUR CREAM AND GARLIC CUCUMBER SALAD. Then we used mini cucumbers AKA KIRBY CUCUMBERS to make our world-famous GARLIC DILL PICKLES. For this salad recipe, we used ENGLISH CUCUMBERS, sometimes called hothouse cucumbers. This seedless variety is sometimes referred to as “burpless”, containing less cucurbitacin. Cucurbitacin is a plant compound giving them a milder taste and possibly fewer digestion issues after enjoying them.
Cucumbers might be 95% water, but they also have phytonutrients called lignans. Lignans may help prevent cells from oxidative stress and conditions like osteoporosis, heart disease and some cancers. They also contain vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium and potassium. Preparing the cucumber slices is easy, just follow the simple instructions below.
ASIAN SALAD DRESSING
This Asian cucumber salad dressing is a cinch to make. As mentioned, look for seasoned rice wine vinegar, not just rice vinegar. Seasoned rice wine vinegar is made with fermented vinegar flavoured with sugar and salt. Also, use regular or light soy sauce or Tamari and toasted sesame oil found in the speciality section of your grocery store. Some people add chili crisp or chili oil to the dressing – up to you. Additional flavour enhancements for this dressing include honey, which can be swapped for maple syrup, and either lemon juice or freshly squeezed lime juice. The key step to making the dressing is to whisk it thoroughly, ensuring the honey is completely dissolved. Pro tip: this simple dressing can also be enjoyed spooned over oven-roasted veggies or a piece of grilled fish. It also keeps well, so it’s not a bad idea to double or triple the recipe, keeping extra on hand for use beyond this salad.
FLAVOUR BOOSTERS
In the VIDEO attached to this post, you’ll see me finely dicing garlic cloves and grating a fragrant knob of peeled fresh ginger across a Microplane. Then there’s sesame seeds toasted in a heated skillet plus a handful of fresh cilantro roughly chopped. Think of these ingredients as the flavour boosters that, along with a sprinkle of red chili flakes, give this salad some serious taste.
SALAD BOWL
Adding the above flavour boosters with freshly sliced cucumbers and the punchy dressing is truly a moment of great epicurean pleasure. For best results, toss or stir everything in a large salad bowl right before you intend to serve. Make sure to taste your creation before doling portions onto salad plates or sending the bowl to table. Feel free to add a tiny bit more red pepper flakes or a tiny sprinkle of salt if you’d like. In terms of seasoning, adjust the suggested tablespoon and teaspoons measurements to your taste.
SERVE
As mentioned from the top, you can enjoy this homemade cucumber salad on its own, perhaps served with warm pita bread or crunchy PITA CRISPS. It’s also especially delicious as a side dish paired with a tasty main course like this ASIAN SALMON RECIPE, these wonderful GRILLED PORK CHOPS or our EASY ROASTED CHICKEN recipe. One thing’s for sure, there are rarely leftovers.
PIN IT!
This fresh, homemade salad recipe is so perfect, we suggest you PIN the recipe to a favourite salad or vegetable board on PINTEREST or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make them too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of all the delicious dishes you’re making these days. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post those pics on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!
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Ingredients
For the salad:
3 English cucumbers
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
juice of half a lemon or lime
Garnish:
½ teaspoon chili flakes
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
fresh cilantro, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
Directions
Prepare veggies: Wash cucumbers. Trim away and discard the very ends, then divide in half lengthwise. Cut into ½-inch pieces. Transfer to a large salad bowl. Add garlic and ginger. Cover and refrigerate until later or continue.
Prepare dressing: Place vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and lemon juice into a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Toast sesame seeds: Spill sesame seeds into a skillet warmed over medium heat. Toast sesame seeds until golden.
Finish salad: Spill dressing over cucumbers followed by chili flakes, sesame seeds and cilantro. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.
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