Spicy Cucumber Salad

You all know how much I love salads as a side dish. They are so versatile and fun. Even if we just talk about Cucumber Salad, you have so much variety. You can have a Mediterranean spin with tomatoes, red onions and feta. You can go solo cucumber with a dill vinaigrette for something of a quick pickle. Or you can go creamy with a sour cream dressing. For this particular recipe I went for a spicy Asian version and it came out super yum! Spicy Cucumber Salad is great on its own, or as an addition to a rice bowl, or even dim sum style meal.

As with other recipes, I have explained that I use Tamari Sauce as apposed to Soy Sauce because it is gluten free but has the same flavors for the most part. One of my sons has a gluten allergy so I try to cut it where I can, so that he can eat what we are eating. Tamari sauce is a bi-product of the process of making miso paste, while soy sauce comes from fermenting soybeans with wheat added. Either product will work with this recipe.

While you can serve this salad right after making it, it is best to let it sit for at least a little bit. If you are making as part of a meal and don’t have time to make it ahead of time, at least make it first, so that it can sit for the duration of your cook time. This will help develop the flavors more deeply. If you can make it in the morning before work or maybe on your lunch break, you will be much happier with the final flavor. Just make sure that you store it covered in the fridge, if you make it early.

To make the cucumber ribbons, I use a vegetable peeler to get even cuts. You can use a mandolin as well, I just don’t like them, myself. If you do not have or want to use either, you can simply slice the cucumber into thin rounds. When I made this, I used it as part of my Lemongrass Smoked Beef Roast Bowl which I made a ginger rice to go with. As I mentioned before, this is also really good as part of a dim sum style night – with dumplings, shumai, fried rice, gyoza, pork buns, etc. It is also a wonderful side for Sushi or as part of a bento box style lunch.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Spicy Cucumber Salad

A spicy and flavorful cold cucumber salad with an Asian flare.

Course Salad

Cuisine American, Asian, thai

Keyword cucumber, cucumber salad, ginger, lemon, red onion

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Chill Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 Medium Red Onion thin sliced
• 2 English Cucumbers halved and sliced into ribbons
• ¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
• 3 Garlic Cloves minced
• ¼ cup Tamari Sauce
• 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp Chili Oil
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds

Instructions

• Add all ingredients for cucumber salad to a bowl and toss to coat evenly. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.