Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe | Diethood

Refreshing and crunchy, this spicy Asian cucumber salad is the right fast appetizer for busy days. Loaded with garlic, sesame seeds, chili paste, and soy sauce, it’s bought all of your favourite Asian components in a single chew.

Simple Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe

Prepped a day forward, this Asian cucumber salad is an easy however flavorful aspect dish or appetizer concept filled with crunchy cucumbers, chili paste, and soy sauce. Topped with black sesame seeds, each chew is simply the correct amount of garlicky, spicy, and earthy.

Don’t fear in the event you don’t have sufficient time to salt and marinate the salad a day forward— you may skip all of it after which toss every little thing collectively directly. You possibly can lower just a few corners by slicing thicker cucumbers and serving this recipe in the identical bowl you made it in.

With a mixture of Korean Gochujang and gochugaru chili powder, each chew packs your favourite Asian flavors. As soon as it hits the desk, you would possibly end up pushing the primary dishes apart so as to load up on this refreshing cucumber salad.

What You’ll Want

Time to dig into the Asian components in your pantry. Verify the recipe card on the backside of the submit for full ingredient quantities.

• Persian cucumbers
• Salt
• Water
• Garlic
• Apple cider vinegar
• Granulated sugar – Mild brown sugar works too.
• Gochujang chili paste
• Gochugaru chili powder – Japanese Shichimi togarashi is a superb substitute.
• Sesame oil – Be at liberty to make use of peanut oil.
• Soy sauce
• Black sesame seeds – It’s okay to make use of white sesame seeds.

What Cucumbers Ought to I Use?

Persian, Japanese, English, or Turkish cucumbers are finest for this recipe as a result of they’ve bought fewer seeds and thinner pores and skin. Some shops promote them as “mini cucumbers”. They’re excellent for this salad as a result of they will stay crunchy for an extended time frame.

Recipe Variations

These recipe variations will show you how to expend no matter you’ve available.

• Use common chili powder. If you happen to can’t discover Korean Gochujang or Gochugaru, use common chili powder to style as an alternative.
• Sprinkle with inexperienced onion. This provides pungent spiciness, much like garlic, and a pleasant crunch.
• Use garlic powder. Add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder for each clove within the recipe.
• Grate some ginger. Freshly grate 1/2 teaspoon of ginger and blend it with the remainder of the components for spicy earthiness.
• Add chili oil. Make it spicier by including 1/2 teaspoon of chili oil to the salad and giving it an excellent combine. Sriracha additionally works.

Find out how to Make Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Salting the cucumbers is the “hardest” a part of this recipe. The remaining is simply tossing and serving.

• Salt the cucumbers. Reduce the cucumbers into 1/4″ slices and place them in a bowl. You can also make them thinner or thicker, however 1/4″ will provide you with the last word crunch whereas nonetheless absorbing many of the flavors. Sprinkle them with salt and provides them an excellent combine. Cowl the bowl with plastic wrap or a clear kitchen towel and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to permit them to launch extra moisture.

• Rinse them. Take away the cucumbers from the fridge and run them over chilly water for a couple of minutes, stirring them together with your arms continually. Take away all of the salt, drain, and place them again within the bowl. You can even do a style check. If the cucumbers are nonetheless salty, that you must maintain rinsing them.
• Add the sauces. Add the garlic, apple cider vinegar, sugar, Gochujang chili paste, Gochugaru chili powder, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Use a spoon or your arms to mix the components with the cucumbers. Cowl the bowl once more and refrigerate it for half-hour or in a single day to permit the flavors to develop.

• Serve. Take away from the fridge and serve the salad chilled. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to style and luxuriate in.

Ideas for Success

Certainly one of the following pointers is a time saver while you’re in a rush.

• Thinly slice. The thinner the cucumbers, the extra taste they’ll soak up. Nevertheless, they are going to be much less crunchy.
• Skip the resting time. If you happen to’re in a rush, you may skip salting the cucumbers and letting them marinate within the sauce. Extra moisture received’t be an issue in a while in the event you’re consuming the salad straight away.
• Use the identical bowl. You possibly can scale back clean-up by serving the salad in the identical bowl you made it in.

What to Serve With Asian Cucumber Salad

This salad is ideal for all your Asian-inspired meals and take-out cravings.

For hen, I like to pair it with my Simple Kung Pao Hen Recipe, Hen Lettuce Wraps, and Chinese language Hen and Broccoli. For beef and shrimp, strive it with my Pepper Steak Stir Fry Recipe, Bang Bang Shrimp, and Candy Korean BBQ Beef Tacos.

Can This Be Made in Advance?

• Sure! This Asian cucumber salad tastes finest when made and refrigerated at some point prematurely as a result of the flavors come collectively significantly better. Whilst you can technically make it as much as 2 days prematurely, I don’t suggest it as a result of the cucumbers will start to lose their crunch.

Extra Simple Aspect Dishes

ENJOY!