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Cucumber Salad With Soy, Ginger and Garlic
![Cucumber Salad With Soy, Ginger and Garlic](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2019/01/15/dining/mrs-cucumber-salad-with-soy-ginger-and-garlic/mrs-cucumber-salad-with-soy-ginger-and-garlic-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 2large thin-skinned cucumbers (about 1½ pounds), thinly sliced
- Salt, to taste
- 3tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 1tablespoon soy sauce
- 1teaspoon sugar
- 1small garlic clove, minced, or granulated garlic or garlic flakes to taste
- 1teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- ⅛teaspoon ground cayenne, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2tablespoons dark sesame oil
- 3tablespoons sunflower oil or grapeseed oil
- 1bunch scallions, white and light green parts, very thinly sliced
- 2tablespoons chopped cilantro
Preparation
- Step 1
Sprinkle the cucumbers with a generous amount of salt and let sit in a colander in the sink for 15 minutes. Rinse and dry on a kitchen towel. Transfer to a salad bowl.
- Step 2
Whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, cayenne, and pepper. Whisk in the sesame oil and the sunflower or grapeseed oil. Toss with the cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro. Chill until ready to serve.
- Advance preparation: This will keep for a day or two in the refrigerator but the dressing will become more watery.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
We’ve been making this weekly since the beginning of quarantine, roughly 28 years or so. We landed on three modifications: skip the sugar, add a splash of fish sauce, Thai peppers for heat. Modifications to avoid: bleach, hydroxychloroquine, and any form of alien DNA. Stay safe eat well.
I've made this several times and love it, although I struggle to rid the cucumbers of the salt even after several rinses. I've taken to slicing them and sandwiching them between lots of paper towels for at least an hour. The paper towels can then be dried and reused. Chopped peanuts are a nice addition to this as well.
Lots of the water in a cucumber is in the seeds. If you halve the cuke lengthways and scrape them out with a teaspoon before slicing thinly, you'll need to add far less salt, and they won't be nearly as watery.
Great salad--cool yet hot. I think the soy sauce, garlic, ginger,cayenne and sesame oil are essential. Other ingredients can be substituted. I used sherry vinegar, which was fine, and agave nectar (always) as a sub for sugar. To guarantee success, I recommend slicing cukes with a mandeline, they'll be very thin and perfectly consistent.
A Squirt of Siracha Sauce can replace the cayenne. Or substitute half of the dark sesame oil for hot (chili) sesame oil. Fresh chives works well (instead of scallions)
To slice the cucumbers really thin, Norwegians use a cheese slicer. Works like a charm.
Dear me. I feel like I'm back at Oberlin.
I think the best way to regard this recipe – – and its name – – is as a hybrid dish featuring flavors that are enjoyed by many Asian cultures.
I can tell you one thing for sure: whatever you call it, it's delicious.
I am saddened that a good recipe is tarnished by such a name! Would NYT Cooking title a dish with "European Flavors"? I expect not as readily, and advocate updating this recipe title to respect the diversity and complexity of the many cultures of Asia.
The dressing for this delicious salad is very similar to the Smashed Cucumber Salad. I've prepared both with excellent results. For this one, I used Schezuan pepper corns and sweetened it with a bit of mirin. In deference to my husband (who detests garlic) I left it out. I used Himalayan sea salt on the cucumbers and dried them with a tea towel. So, no need for the soy sauce. Both these salads are winners.
I add avocados to this.. amazing!
I liked this salad a lot, but prefer it without the cayenne. Also like to use English seedless cucumbers sliced lengthwise on a mandoline.
It reminded me of a dressing for cold noodles so I spiraled a zucchini into it. Yummy.
I liked it... I didn't love it. My husband makes a simple cucumber salad with white vinegar, red onions, garlic, salt and pepper that tastes brighter and more flavorful. We also do that recipe by cutting the cucumber in half lengthways, scraping out seeds and doing ¼" slices which I like better and which are way easier to cut. All a matter of opinion I guess.
I make this all the time. Very simple, clean, fresh tastes. I use gochujang (red korean pepper) for a simple kick.
I didn't have enough cucumber so added grated carrot. Also I used pickled ginger instead of grated fresh ginger and reduced the sugar. Very good!
Dressing makes about twice as much than you need for this much vegetables. As written, a bit oily. Add more of the herbs at spices. Cayenne develops, so go easy if you don’t plan to serve right away. If prepared in advance, wait to toss the dressing in until minutes before serving.
My husband and I really enjoyed this salad. I halved the recipe for the two of us and it was perfect. Also, used a mandoline 1/8th inch was just right.
I was skeptical after salting, rinsing, draining and drying the cucumbers, they seemed limp. However after sitting in the fridge for an hour they actually were crisp. I cut them 1/8 inch with the mandolin. They were a little bland even though I added extra everything in the dressing. Served with Anne Burrell’s Killer Turkey burgers which are seasoned with sambal oelek, Soy sauce, and ginger.
Cut ginger to half … my spouse is not a big ginger lover. Omitted cilantro because I didn’t have any. We both thought this was delicious!
Incredible
I thought this would be more similar to the cucumber salad at Japanese restaurants, but it is not sweet enough. I thought the sesame oil was a little overpowering as well. Appreciated the salting technique to draw out the excess water, though.
No sugar, a little mirin.
Delicious. Used a touch of honey in place of granulated sugar and a squeeze of lime before serving. Toasted sliced almonds a great touch. Easy. Will make again and again.
Seasoned rice vinegar has both sugar and salt in it already, so there is no need to ad any more sugar or salt. I would only add sugar and salt if I were using plain, unseasoned rice vinegar. Also this salad is improved by adding a little toasted sesame oil, about a teaspoon, and reducing the other oil by that amount.
I agree with other reviews, needs more acid. I added several drops of the rice vinegar but recipe wasn't very good.
Needs more acid, added some lime juice from about half a lime. Reduced neutral oil to two tablespoons.
Absolutely marvelous. 10/5 stars.
Used mix of big and small cukes to liven things up. Big were the “thin-skinned” kind (probably offended re:”big.”) Used coconut sugar to impress guests. Could have been sweeter. Next time, using refined for unrefined tastes, despite risk of cancer and diabetes, because tastes better. Needs more spice. Would say “Thai,” but don’t want to be culturally insensitive, given some offended this recipe is “Asian-inspired.”
This salad is a dinner staple usually w/ Melissa Clark's Grilled Sesame Lime Chicken Breasts. Leftovers make a delicious chicken sandwich the next day if you've got a sturdy loaf of bread. I sub a spoonful of chili crisp, sambal oelek, or garlic chili paste for the cayenne. Also would echo some others about placing the cucumber slices between some clean dishtowels. Personally, I'd say DO NOT cut out the seeds, waste of time and perfectly edible food.
Recently hosted some friends and needed to keep the menu vegan, and this salad was a huge hit with everybody (including the vegan, who commented she usually doesn't even like cucumbers). If you don't keep a bottle of seasoned rice wine vinegar on hand, you can make it from regular rice wine vinegar by adding salt and sugar. Recipes abound online.
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