Asian Cucumber Salad
Crisp salted cucumbers in a sesame, soy and rice vinegar dressing with garlic, ginger and chili flakes. Slice them, smash them or cut them accordion style. Ten minutes of work plus 15 minutes of draining.
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Equipment
- Chef's knife
- Colander
- 2 chopsticks (accordion cut) or a rolling pin (smashed)
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Ingredients
Cucumbers
- 1 pound Persian or English cucumbers about 3 medium; sliced, smashed or accordion cut
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt for draining
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce regular or reduced sodium; tamari for gluten free
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 to 3 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
To finish
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts crushed; optional
Instructions
- Cut the cucumbers. Slice into thin rounds, or smash whole cucumbers with a rolling pin until they split and cut into bite-size chunks. For accordion cut, lay a cucumber between two chopsticks, make thin straight cuts down to the chopsticks, flip it over and cut again on the diagonal.
- Toss the cucumbers with the salt in a colander. Leave to drain for 15 minutes, then pat dry with a clean towel.
- In a small bowl, whisk the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, ginger and chili flakes until the sugar dissolves.
- Put the cucumbers and green onions in a mixing bowl, pour over the dressing, and toss until every piece is coated.
- Top with sesame seeds and crushed peanuts. Serve right away, or chill for up to 30 minutes.
Rekha's Notes
- Korean style (oi muchim): use 1 tablespoon gochugaru, skip the ginger and add an extra clove of garlic.
- Seasoned rice vinegar already contains sugar and salt. If using it, halve the sugar.
- No rice vinegar: use the same amount of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Storage: up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Crispest in the first 24 hours. Do not freeze.
- Nutrition is an estimate and assumes most of the draining salt is discarded with the liquid.
Nutrition
Calories: 92kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 320mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5g