Whenever I need a quick appetizer or side to go with an Asian main course, I turn to cucumbers. These slick, crunchy workhorses of the kitchen are always reliable when you need that last-minute “something extra.” Sure, you can pickle cucumbers, jar them, and save them for the future, but my favorite way to eat them is raw, in a quick salad.
In Sichuan cuisine, cucumber salads are a great cooling refresher between bites of the other much hotter dishes. Thailand and Vietnam also have their own versions of cucumber salads. But since I’ve been cooking quite a few Japanese dishes this week, I decided to make a batch of Japanese cucumber salad to go along with them.
This recipe couldn’t be easier. You just toss the cucumbers in salt, let them sit for 5 or 10 minutes, then gently squeeze out the excess water. Then you mix the cucumber slices in a fragrant blend of sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
And if you need suggestions for Japanese dishes to pair with the cucumber salad, check out our Japanese recipe archive.
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Japanese Cucumber Salad
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer
- 4 Kirby cucumbers or 2 large cucumbers
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 cup white rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon white or black sesame seeds, or a mixture of both
- Cut the cucumbers into paper-thin slices. In a large bowl, toss the cucumber slices with the salt (this draws out excess water). Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
- Drain the cucumber slices in a colander and gently squeeze them with your hands to squeeze out excess water. Return the slices to the large bowl and toss with the rice vinegar mixture. Transfer the cucumber to a serving dish. Serve at room temperature with sushi, noodles, stir-fries, etc.
Just a quick question do you rinse the salt off before dressing the cucumbers?
And I thought that was a Korean recipe? Anyway, that’s the only way I like to eat cucumber. I usually add lots of (!!) roasted sesame on top to give it an even stronger sesame tatse.
Just had it for lunch the other day: http://genuss-und-versuchung.blogspot.de/2012/10/bento-of-day-lunchbox-mit.html
Best regards from Germany!!!
Kate – You don’t rinse off the salt. It blends well with the dressing once everything is mixed. Hope that helps and let me know how the recipe turns out!
Miss Jenny – Your lunch looks great! I think this is similar, though the Korean cucumber salads I’ve had include some sweet Korean chili sauce and sometimes crushed red pepper to add some extra zing. Both the Japanese and Korean versions are delicious, though, and sometimes it’s hard to choose which one to make!
I just made this and almost had to make a second batch because the first one *almost* didn’t make it to the table. So yummy.
I love cucumber salad & with this dressing…to die for. Yum!
Love this idea!
I made this yesterday for my husband and kids and everyone loved it, including my son who usually hates any salads. We had sweet and sour chicken that was leftover and this was great as a side. Thank you!
Just bought a bottle of Asian rice vinegar for a shrimp stir-fry, so I can’t wait to try this salad too!
Mmm I love cucumber salad! Can you make this for me when you visit??? :)
Amy – Of course! Maybe it can be a non-traditional Thanksgiving side too. ;)
love the recipe, love the simplicity of the pic. I featured it on my Friday Five over at Feed Your Soul – http://chefpeterskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/11/friday-five-vegetarian.html
Sounds yummy and very low cal. CAn’t wait to try . Have you ever tried this with zucchini ?