Ingredients
– 4 cucumbers, approximately 20cm (8 inches) long; use Lebanese or Persian cucumbers, or 2 longer English or telegraph cucumbers around 30cm (1 foot) long
– 3/4 teaspoon cooking or kosher salt
– 1 eschallot or French onion (known as shallot in the US), halved and very thinly sliced; can substitute with finely sliced small red onion
– 1 cup green onion (green parts only), finely sliced (about 1 large or 2 small stems)
– 2 tablespoons or more of chilli crisp (crispy chilli oil)
– 2 teaspoons white toasted sesame seeds, plus extra for topping
– 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar (substitute with any clear vinegar if needed)
– 2 teaspoons soy sauce, all-purpose or light (avoid dark or sweet soy sauce)
– 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (brown sesame oil with strong flavor, not the yellow untoasted kind)
Instructions
1-Toss the chopped cucumbers with 3/4 teaspoon of cooking or kosher salt in a bowl and let them sit for 30 minutes. This draws out excess water, keeping your salad from getting watery.
2-Drain the salty water from the bowl, leaving the cucumbers behind.
3-In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil until it thickens slightly.
4-Add 1 cup finely sliced green onion, the thinly sliced eschallot, 2 teaspoons white toasted sesame seeds, and 2 tablespoons or more of chilli crisp to the cucumbers.
5-Toss everything together for about 30 seconds until the eschallot softens, then adjust the chilli crisp to your taste.
6-Serve right away, sprinkled with extra sesame seeds and more chilli crisp if you like it extra spicy. The total time is just 37 minutes, with 7 minutes of active prep.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
🔨 Smashing cucumbers creates crevices that better hold the dressing and add texture.
🧂 Salting cucumbers draws out excess water to concentrate flavors.
🌶️ Use crispy chilli oil for a mild heat and crunchy texture; choose your favorite variety.
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Salting: 30 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Tossing, Salting
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 100 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 615 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg