Asian Cucumber Salad Sesame (Printable)

Refreshing salad with thin cucumber slices tossed in sesame and rice vinegar dressing.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 large English cucumbers, thinly sliced
02 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ Dressing

03 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
04 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
05 - 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
06 - 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
07 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - 1 clove garlic, finely minced
10 - 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

→ Garnish

11 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
12 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
13 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

# How To Make It:

01 - Place sliced cucumbers in a large bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt and toss to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes to draw out excess moisture, then gently squeeze and drain off any accumulated liquid.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, ginger, and black pepper until sugar completely dissolves.
03 - Add the dressing and sliced green onions to the cucumbers. Toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
04 - Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with toasted sesame seeds, fresh cilantro, and red pepper flakes as desired. Serve immediately or chill for 10 to 15 minutes to enhance flavors.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's ridiculously quick and requires almost no cooking skill, just good knife work and a whisk.
  • The dressing tastes restaurant-quality because toasted sesame oil does most of the heavy lifting for you.
02 -
  • Don't skip the salting and draining step, or you'll end up with a watery, diluted salad that tastes flat by the time you serve it.
  • Toasted sesame oil smells incredible and tastes strong, so a little goes a long way, and you can always add more but you can't take it back.
03 -
  • If you accidentally over-salt the cucumbers and they taste too briny, rinse them gently before adding the dressing.
  • Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for two minutes before using them, and the entire kitchen will smell like a restaurant kitchen.
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