Have you tried spicy cucumber salad before?
If you’ve been to a Taiwanese or Chinese (Szechuan/Shanghainese…ie. Din Tai Fung) restaurant, it’s usually served as an appetizer option.
Spicy cucumber salad is served cold and is packed with flavor and crunch. It’s garlicky, spicy, and super addictive.
Restaurant spicy cucumber salad is pretty oily (as is most restaurant food). So, that’s why I made a version that’s less greasy but still packed with the same amazing taste!
My recipe uses only 6 simple ingredients and takes only a few minutes to put together!
It’s a perfect pairing with dumplings, noodles, or air fryer Taiwanese chicken nuggets. A serving, or ¼ of the recipe, is only 50 calories! Great recipe for the summer since it’s served cold but a perfect recipe for the entire year because of the spice and flavor it provides.
I used Chinese black vinegar (AKA Chiankiang vinegar). It’s made from fermented glutinous rice while regular rice vinegar is made from fermented rice. Chinese black vinegar is a less acidic and provides a more full-bodied, malt-y taste. Comparing black vinegar and rice vinegar is like comparing brown sugar and white sugar- same but differently, slightly. You can pick up Chinese black from the condiment aisle at most Asian grocery stores. Alternatively, you can use rice vinegar as a substitute.
I also used pre-minced garlic in this recipe- it’s a huge time saver! I use the Lee Kum Kee brand minced garlic because I found that the western minced garlic has in a very strong citric acid taste, making it very sour and the garlic aroma get lost. I find that the Lee Kum Kee garlic holds the strong garlic flavor the best. Of course, you can use fresh garlic.
For chili oil, I used one that my cousin picked up from London. Any chili oil will do. A very common chili oil is this one from Lao Gan Ma (found in the condiment aisle at most Asian grocery stores).
I also used a very small amount of sugar for this recipe. The addition of sugar rounds out the flavors and add an extra depth. I tried omitting it in my first trial, but it just wasn’t as good.
I also smash the cucumber with the side of my knife. This is an important step! It helps the cucumber absorb the flavors and sauce better.
The salad can be eaten immediately but is best served chilled for at least 10 min (or a few hrs) for the flavors to infuse!
Spicy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
1 English cucumber
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp chili oil
¼ tsp sugar
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