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Description
This Korean Cucumber Salad recipe offers a refreshing and crisp side dish, perfect for any meal. It features thinly sliced cucumbers tossed in a savory, sweet, and slightly spicy dressing, garnished with sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cucumber, sliced into thick rounds or 1/2 moons (English cucumber, Japanese, Armenian, or Persian- thin-skinned, seedless is preferred)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar (honey or maple)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 scallions, sliced thin
- 1-2 teaspoons Gochugaru Korean chili pepper flakes (spicy but not super hot, start with less and add more to taste)
- toasted sesame seeds
- fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a colander, toss cucumbers with the 1 teaspoon of salt and set over a plate for 30 minutes. (See notes for skipping this step).
- In a bowl whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, scallions and Gochogaru flakes.
- Lightly rinse the cucumber slices and use a kitchen towel to blot and dry. Add to the dressing in the bowl and mix.
- Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.
Notes
- If short on time, you can skip the salting step- it is delicious either way, salting releases water from the cucumbers making the salad less watery and giving the the cucumbers a crisp texture.
- Optional additions: 1 garlic clove, finely minced, 1 teaspoon fish sauce (leave out soy), thinly sliced carrots and onions.