Quick and easy Asian style cucumber salad make with simple yet flavoursome ingredients. Cooking with cucumbers is a must during the summer because this vegetable is oh so refreshing!
This recipe is inspired by my mother’s staple cucumber salad dish, which she would often make for my sisters and I! It takes less than 10mins to make, and is best served with rice.
This recipe is one of the few recipes on my website that come from my Chinese roots. I’ve always felt a sense of pride in sharing these recipes, and I hope to share more of the art of vegan Chinese cooking with my audience. Check out Tofu Tomato Noodle Soup and Maple Miso Glazed Eggplant recipe!
Ingredients rundown
Cucumber
The cucumber is flattened, or “smashed” using either a cleaver knife or a food tenderizer. It will create cracks in the cucumber. Then, the cucumber is roll cut. The technique of roll cutting is often used for long vegetables such as cucumbers and carrots.
How to roll cut:
- Cut off an approximatively 1 inch piece of cucumber on a 45º angle
- Rotate the cucumber 90º and make another angle cut
- Repeat until the whole cucumber has been cut.
The combination of flattening and roll cutting maximizes the surface area of the cucumber, which increases the flavour absorption of the vegetable!
Cilantro
Cilantro is essentially the asian version of parsley. It is used as a garnish in many Chinese dishes, and can also serve as a more dominant part of a dish if a larger quantity is used.
Peanuts
I always love adding a crunchy element to my salads. Sometimes it’s croutons, and sometimes it’s nuts. Peanuts are widely used in Chinese cooking, which is why I decided to use it in this recipe!
Flavour component
The combination of garlic, soy sauce, black vinegar and chilli oil creates the flavour component of the salad. You’ll find that this combination of ingredients is used in many Chinese dishes, mainly as a marinade.
FAQs
I would recommend using English cucumber because it is typically long, narrow and seedless. It is also easier to flatten and roll cut.
Black vinegar is usually found in the “International Foods” isle of grocery stores. If you don’t cook with black vinegar often, feel free to use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar as a substitute.
You can choose your favourite chilli oil, but it is completely optional depending on whether you want to add spice to the salad!
Have a questions about this recipe? Leave a comment on this post or shoot me a DM on Instagram! I’d love to help you out. 🙂
Looking for more vegan summer salads?
Asian Style Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large cucumber
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tbsp black vinegar
- ½ tbsp chili oil, optional for spice
Instructions
- Place the uncut cucumber on a cutting board. flatten the cucumber using a cleaver knife or a food tenderizer.
- Then, roll cut the cucumber: cut off an approx. 1 inch piece of cucumber on a 45º angle. Rotate the cucumber 90º and make another angle cut. Repeat until the whole cucumber has been cut.
- Toss together all the ingredients in a large bowl.1 large cucumber, 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1½ tbsp light soy sauce, ½ tbsp black vinegar, ½ tbsp chili oil
- Cover and refrigerate the salad for 10mins. Serve cold.
Notes
- See the blog post above to learn how to roll cut the cucumber!
- You can substitute 2 cloves fresh garlic with 1 tsp garlic powder
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