Thin slices of cucumber, drizzled with a sesame-vinegar sauce and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, I loved this salad at the first bite. Cool and refreshing, it is a perfect side salad recipe to any meal.
And isn’t this salad just a beauty to look at? The soothing green of cucumbers instantly brings a smile even before you take a bite :-).
The inspiration for this cucumber and sesame salad recipe comes from Sally of GoodDinnerMom. She has a lovely story of how she got the recipe from her father-in-law and I made this salad for the first time for my mother. So in a way the recipe travelled from America to India in multiple time zones!
I am currently at my parents place and their usual salad every evening is slices of cucumber and tomatoes arranged in a plate and sprinkled with salt and pepper. While I make different salad recipes at home, evening salads were not common at my parent’s place earlier. 6 months ago mummy was advised to loose a little weight and that’s when she started eating at least one serving of salad everyday. Since I was visiting, I thought of adding variety to their simple sliced cucumber salad with this Asian cucumber in vinegar salad recipe.
All through our travels in South-East Asia, I enjoyed the pickled cucumbers and carrots and have been thinking of making a vinegar salad dressing since sometime. This dressing beautifully combines the Asian flavours of soy sauce and sesame oil with vinegar. The toasted sesame seeds add a nutty, earthy flavour and being an Indian, I had to sprinkle some fresh coriander leaves to complete the look!
Serve it as a side with vegetable stir-fry for an East Asian dinner night or as a barbecue side salad.
Asian Cucumber Salad in Vinegar Sauce
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- 2 medium cucumbers , thinly sliced
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds , toasted
- Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
For the dressing
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp soy sauce , preferably gluten-free & low sodium
- 2 cloves of garlic , grated
- Sea Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash, dry and cut the ends of the cucumbers. Slice each cucumber as thin as you can and put in a big bowl.
- Lightly toast white sesame seeds till they just start to brown. Freshly toasted sesame needs have a beautiful aroma as well but you can use previously toasted seeds if you have.
- In a small bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Drizzle the salad dressing on the cucumber slices and toss to coat.
- Adjust seasoning, cover and keep for 10-15 mins in the refrigerator for the dressing to marinate the cucumber slices.
- Before serving, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds, red pepper flakes and fresh coriander leaves. Serve cold.
Notes
- Use cucumber with their skin on. The skin of cucumbers is not only full of healthy fibre and nutrition, it also adds a nice texture to each bite — a crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- The original recipe for the cucumber salad dressing calls for rice wine vinegar but I use Apple cider vinegar in most of my recipes because its many many health benefits!
You have to really try this beautiful and super easy cucumber salad recipe. It is perfect for summers. This salad is also a great addition to any weight loss diet as well. While all raw vegetables and fruits provide a lot of healthy fibre for good digestion, cucumbers also help in reducing water retention. They are highly alkaline and soothing for the body.
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Most people won’t have access to coriander leaves. Is there a suitable substitute?
Hello Jenny,
You can also use fresh parsley in place of fresh coriander. These days coriander or cilantro leaves are available in most supermarkets, but I know what you mean, often here in Bucharest too, we don’t find good fresh coriander leaves :-0
hope that helps! Do share pictures of your cucumber salad when you make it 🙂
love,
ashima