Name: Easy 5 Minute Asian Cucumber Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 3 medium-sized cucumbers (young, thin-skinned); 1 teaspoon tossed sesame seeds; 2 tablespoon roasted peanuts (crushed); 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro (coriander) (finely chopped); 2 tablespoon rice vinegar; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoon soy sauce; 2 garlic cloves (minced); 1 teaspoon cane sugar or sugar; ⅓ teaspoon red chili flakes (or to taste); ¼ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

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Easy 5 minute Asian cucumber salad: Sliced cucumbers are tossed in sweet, tangy, and spicy sesame dressing topped with roasted peanuts makes for a delicious side dish that everyone will love. It takes just 5 minutes to make and is vegan.

This Asian cucumber salad with sesame dressing is one of my favorite summer side dishes to make. It is incredibly easy, light, crunchy and so refreshing. Full of Asian flavors. A perfect dish to make for parties, picnics, potlucks, or even summer grilling.

Making this salad is quite straightforward. Slice the cucumber, make the dressing, toss everything together and you are good to go.

What makes this dish so good is a tasty sesame dressing. It is packed full of flavor and a little heat from the chili flakes. You can adjust the sweet, tangy, and spicy element to your taste preference just by adjusting the amount.

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Ingredients You'll Need

Ingredients to make Asian cucumber salad

Cucumber: cucumber is the main ingredient in this recipe. Use your favorite, making sure it's thin skinned and young for the best taste. English cucumbers, Persian cucumbers are good replacements;
Garlic: fresh garlic, minced;
Rice Vinegar: rice vinegar can be substituted with apple cider vinegar. Add more for extra tanginess;
Sesame oil: use either regular or toasted sesame oil;
Soy sauce: you can use tamari instead;
Red chili flakes: adds a nice spicy punch, you can also sub with chopped deseeded red chili;
Sugar: balances the flavor and makes the dressing even more irresistible. I used organic cane sugar. Granulated sugar or honey are nice alternatives;
Sesame seeds: adds that amazing Asian taste;
Peanuts: add a nice nuttiness and some crunch to the salad. For those who have peanut allergies, you can skip adding or use cashew nut or sunflower seeds instead;
Salt: sea salt to taste;
Cilantro(coriander): preferably fresh.

Asian Cucumber Salad Preparations

Prepare cucumber: Slice the cucumbers into slightly thick rounds. You can peel the cucumbers if you prefer that way.

Making the sesame dressing for Asian cucumber salad

Make the dressing: Put minced garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, cane sugar, salt, and red chili flakes in a small bowl. Whisk until sugar dissolves.
Toss cucumber with dressing: Pour the dressing over the sliced cucumbers and toss to coat. Finish it off by adding chopped cilantro, crushed peanuts and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Asian cucumber salad served in a white bowl

Variations

Like any other recipe, when making an Asian cucumber salad you can always change things up to suit your palate or use what you have available.

Here are some that I do from time to time

Add veggies: carrot, red pepper, snap peas, edamame, red onion, green onion
substitute minced garlic with minced or ground ginger
Substitute cilantro with parsley or mint leaves
Add lime juice
fish sauce for a non vegan version
Spice it up: add chilli oil for a little extra spice

What to serve with Asian Cucumber Salad?

This salad is a light yet satisfying snack on its own. For a full dinner, you can serve this as a side to barbecue, any grilled vegetable, meat, or fish dishes. It is also a great addition to Asian dishes.

Can I make it ahead?

This salad is best served immediately. Cucumbers will turn soft, once everything is mixed. To keep the cucumbers fresh and crisp, I would suggest keeping the cucumber slices and dressing separate until ready to serve.

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