Asian Cucumber Salad

Very thin cucumber slices, salted to draw out their water and then squeezed, in a dressing of rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and toasted sesame oil.

A plate of grilled meat, a bowl of rice, and you’re missing something fresh and crunchy on the side. This cucumber salad fills that gap: thin slices that crunch between your teeth, glistening with a tangy dressing that smells of toasted sesame and ginger.

The raw garlic has a little kick, and the scallion adds its freshness. You keep coming back to it between bites, and the salad bowl empties faster than you’d expect.

What Is Asian Cucumber Salad?

It’s a salad of cucumber cut into very thin slices, salted to draw out the water, then squeezed, and tossed in a dressing of rice vinegar, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, perked up with ginger and garlic. Scallion, toasted sesame seeds and, if you like, a little fresh chile finish it off. It’s served as a side dish with sushi, rice or grilled meat.

Its name describes the seasoning rather than a region: soy sauce, rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil are condiments used in several Asian cuisines. In Germany, it’s known as asiatischer Gurkensalat, “Asian cucumber salad.”

A Homemade Salad Between Europe and Asia

No date or inventor is attributed to it. It’s a home-cooking recipe, made with a supermarket cucumber and a few easy-to-find Asian condiments.

Cutting the cucumber into rounds sets it apart from Sichuan pai huang gua, a Chinese smashed cucumber salad with irregular pieces. Oi muchim, one of the Korean banchan, is also salted to draw out its water before being spiced up with gochugaru chile pepper, which turns it red.

The Main Ingredients in Asian Cucumber Salad

A single cucumber is enough for four people as a side dish. European cucumbers hold a lot of water: the salt draws some of it out, and you then squeeze it out by hand. Skip this step and the water dilutes the dressing and the salad loses its flavor.

Rice vinegar brings a gentle acidity. Light soy sauce, so called for its color, seasons the dressing with salt and gives it umami. Sugar or honey mellows the vinegar and the raw garlic. Toasted sesame oil, dark and very fragrant, is used sparingly: a single teaspoon flavors the whole salad. Grated ginger adds a gentle heat.

Thinly sliced scallion and toasted sesame seeds finish the salad. The fresh chile is optional: adjust the amount to its heat. Rice vinegar, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil are sold in Asian grocery stores and many supermarkets.

Key Techniques for a Really Crunchy Salad

Slice the cucumber very thin on a mandoline. Let the slices sit with the salt for 10 minutes to release their water, then squeeze them firmly with both hands and discard the liquid.

Let the salad marinate for 10 minutes before serving. It’s best eaten the same day: over time, the cucumber keeps releasing water into the dressing.

Serve it with quick and easy Asian dishes, maki or grilled meat, such as chicken yakitori.