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Asian Cucumber Salad
One of the quickest, easiest and tastiest side dishes I know is this Asian Cucumber Salad. It takes less than 10 minutes to make using ingredients you are likely to have in the pantry, and it is a side which goes with almost anything. The best part is that it is good for you!
What is an Asian Cucumber Salad?
Although I call it an Asian Cucumber Salad, technically it is more a quick pickle. As a salad/pickle, the vinegar dressing helps to aid in digestion, which is why this cucumber salad is so common in many Asian cuisines. Most shared Asian family meals combine dishes in a way which balances flavours, and a pickle is often included to off-set the salty flavours in other dishes.
Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
You may have seen recipes for Smashed Cucumber Salad which have been very popular on social media lately. My recipe for Asian Cucumber Salad is a variation, but a quicker route to get a vege dish on the table at dinner time.
I used to smash cucumbers and then slice them into large chunks so that the cucumber salad would have interesting shapes and textures. But when I need to get dinner on the table quickly, I am faster at slicing cucumbers and, honestly, my family would not notice if the cucumbers have been sliced or smashed. You do as you like 🙂
There is no oil in this dressing, although you could certainly add some toasted sesame oil for some nutty flavour. More often than not, I omit the sesame oil, and sometimes omit even the sesame seeds. But much depends on what I am serving alongside this cucumber salad.
How to Make Asian Cucumber Salad
As it only takes about 10 minutes for the cucumber to become flavoured with the dressing, I generally make this salad at the last minute. But it comes together so easily that I have started to delegate this recipe to my kids (but be warned that kids will need more than 10 minutes!).
Step 1
Make the dressing in the same bowl which you will use to serve the cucumber salad. Simply mix together the sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in the serving bowl.
Step 2
Slice the cucumbers and add them directly to the bowl with the dressing.
I like to use a crunchy cucumber for this salad so, because of where I live, I use baby cucumbers for this recipe. Small cucumbers can be thinly sliced as shown in the photos.
But if you wish to use larger cucumbers, I recommend removing most of the peel, slicing the cucumber into rounds, and then halving each round. I think it’s a good idea if the cucumber pieces are bite-sized.
Step 3
Use a spoon to mix the cucumber through the dressing. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Give the salad another mix just before serving, together with a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
Asian Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar, or rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 250 g (9 oz) cucumber, sliced into rounds (see Kitchen Notes)
- toasted sesame seeds, to sprinkle
Instructions
- In the same bowl which you plan to serve the cucumber salad, mix together the sugar, vinegar and soy sauce.
- Add the sliced cucumbers.
- Use a spoon to mix the dressing through the cucumbers.
- Leave to sit for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds just before serving.
Kitchen Notes
- WHAT TYPE OF CUCUMBER TO USE
You can use any type of cucumber you like. For small/baby cucumbers, you can simply slice them into rounds. For larger cucumbers, halve the cucumbers before slicing for more bite-sized pieces. - OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
This was very easy to make and so delicious!
Hi Jasmine,
Thank you!