Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad - The best cucumber salad you will ever have! Thai-inspired, spicy, sweet, and crunchy cucumber salad with roasted peanuts. HEAVEN!
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Yes, I know I called it 'HEAVEN,' and you can't quite believe that a salad can be described as heaven, but I promise it is!
This salad has everything going for it - the ingredients are simple, easily available, and the taste... oh, the taste!! So, so, so good! That dressing is everything!
You get everything in one bite - sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy... oh, and we didn't even talk about how this is healthy, full of fiber, and vegan! I mean, what else do you need?!
It's perfect for picnics or a quick packed lunch. If you like your cucumber super crunchy, then wait to add the dressing at the end. But if you are like me and want the cucumber to soak up all that crazy dressing goodness, mix it up.
I also like to make a big batch of this dressing. That way, I can add a quick salad (that I actually like and not tolerate) with any of my meals.
In fact, I have been trying to eat 1-2 cucumbers before my meals. It helps in stabilizing my blood sugar. So, having the dressing always on hand really makes a big difference.
Unlike the lettuce-heavy salads, this salad doesn't wilt with time. You can eat it even 1-2 hours after making. The cucumber does leave a bit of water, but the salad is still great.
Want to add more salads to your meals? Try this Indian Cucumber and Coconut Salad. If you are in the mood for something new that is a meal by itself, try my Quinoa Edamame Salad. It's delish!
This salad is quite different from the Korean spicy cucumber salad. We use fresh bird-eye chilies here. The dressing is also very Thai-inspired.
Ingredients for Spicy Cucumber Salad
Here is what you need to make this Salad
- Cucumber
- Peanuts
- Mint Leaves
- Cilantro Leaves
Dressing ingredients
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Honey or Maple Syrup
- Sesame Oil
- Brown Sugar
- Soy Sauce
- Garlic
- Bird eye Chilies
- Lime Juice
- Salt
Cucumber
I like using either the Persian cucumbers or the English cucumbers. Look for a kind of cucumber that has thin skin, fewer seeds, and maximum crunch. You can also use any local varieties, such as mini cucumbers, Kirby cucumbers, Chinese cucumbers, and Japanese ones.
You can choose to cut the cucumber thin or thick. If you are serving the salad immediately, thinner cuts would work better.
If you are going to serve the salad later, cut the cucumber slightly thick. That way it retains more crunch, even after it's been mixed with the dressing.
Chili & Chili Flakes
For this Asian cucumber salad recipe, we need fresh red chilies - either bird's eye chilies or whatever chilies you can find locally. You should be able to find fresh or frozen bird's eye chilies in large supermarkets or Asian grocery stores.
The red Thai bird's eye chilies are very, very spicy. Only use them if you can handle super spicy food. They are among the spiciest chilies in the world. You need to handle them very, very carefully.
If you can't find Thai chilies, use any local fresh red chili.
You can also choose to use only one of them - either fresh red chilies or chili flakes.
I always remove the seeds from the chilies. It's recommended to wear gloves while doing this. The chilies are so spicy that they tend to cause a burning sensation on the skin. Also, please avoid rubbing your eyes after cutting the chilies, as I mistakenly did!
Other ingredients
- Peanuts- Roasted - with or without skin. Here is a recipe to air fryer roast peanuts. You can use store-bought ones too.
- Sesame Oil- Toasted Sesame oil is what we want. But in a pinch, you can use avocado oil or a light olive oil, which would also work.
- Honey or maple syrup
- Soy sauce - Light if possible.
- Vinegar- Rice vinegar, white vinegar or in a pinch, apple cider vinegar
- Fresh garlic -minced
- Coriander/cilantro- roughly chopped
- Mint leaves
- Lime/lemon juice
- Sugar - You can use coconut sugar/brown sugar, or any sugar-free options
We have used two different Chilies and two different sugar sources.
How to Make Spicy Cucumber Salad
Step 1: Dressing
This is a spicy dressing with a touch of sweetness along with salty and sour notes.
As I make this dressing in bulk, I usually do not add the cilantro and mint to it, simply because those leaves tend to wilt and blacken with salt.
It's worth repeating here- the bird eye chilies are super spicy. So
a) Use gloves while handling the chilies(The heat leeches into the skin and it a big big pain!)
b)De seed them
c) If you can't handle spice, do not use it! Use any other fresh red Chilies around you. Or only use chili flakes.
The dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
Step 2: Assemble The Salad
Cut the cucumbers however you wish. You could go all fancy and do a spiral or those viral lattice cuts. Sure, it looks great and definitely has a wow factor.
I just prefer simply sliced cucumbers because I am lazy... and I am not the best at learning new cutting techniques.Here, I have used a mandolin. Thinner pieces wilt faster but also soak up the dressing more.
If you are prepping the salad in the morning and eating it in the afternoon, cut the cucumber into thick pieces.In a large bowl, simply mix the cucumber, mint, and cilantro leaves with the dressing. Top it with toasted peanuts.
Other toppings could include crushed cashews, sliced chilies, and both white and black sesame seeds.
Variations
To say that there are a lot of variations of cucumber salad is an understatement.Almost every cuisine has its version of cucumber salad.
In Indian cuisine, there's cucumber salad with coconut and peanuts, as well as the regular Kachumbar Salad.In Asian cuisine, there are viral cucumber salads like Korean Cucumber Salad with Gochujang.
Greek Salad features cucumber, tomatoes, and Feta.
You can also make Smacked Cucumber Salad or Creamy Cucumber Salad with a white dressing. Okay, the list is endless!
Besides the usual suspects, you can change up the cucumber salad by adding a few more ingredients.
Red onions go very well with it. You can also add some radish if you like.
Serving & Storing
This Salad is best served fresh or at least within a couple of hours.
It doesn't wilt as fast as other lettuce-based salads, but the cucumber does leave quite a bit of water.
This is an easy side dish to serve along with Thai mains like Satays.
More Salad recipes
Here are some more salads that we have been making on repeat!
Here are all my Salad Recipes.
If you make this Asian Spicy Cucumber Salad , do leave me a rating and a note on what you thought!
Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 3-4 English Cucumbers
- 2 Tablespoon Peanuts roasted skinless
- 2-3 Tablespoon Coriander fresh, chopped
- 2-3 Tablespoon Mint Leaves Chopped
Dressing
- 1 Thai Red Chillies Deseeded & Chopped
- ¼ Teaspoon Chilli Flakes
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil or Avocado Oil
- 2 Tablespoon Honey
- ½ Teaspoon Soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Vinegar
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 2 Lime - Juiced
- 1 Teaspoon Brown sugar
- Salt to Taste
Instructions
- Cut/ Spiralize the cucumbers . Cucumbers can be cut in any way you want- You can just slice them into roundels or chop them up into bite sized pieces.
- Mix everything listed in the dressing. Season with salt. Taste check. It should be pretty strong in every aspect.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cucumbers, cilantro & mint leaves
- Add the dressing to the cucumbers. Give it a mix.
- Mix it up and garnish with peanuts.
Video
Notes
Chilies
The bird-eye chilies are super spicy. So a) Use gloves while handling the chilies(The heat leeches into the skin and it a big big pain!)b)De seed them
c) If you cant handle spice, do not use them! Use any other fresh red Chilies around you. Or only use chili flakes.
Substitutions & Notes
Fresh Red Chili - You can use any milder red chili too. Removing the seeds of the chili reduces the heat a lot. You can also skip this and use just chili flakes instead. Cucumber - English, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, any cucumber with thin skin and less seeds will work. Soy Sauce- Use coconut aminos or tamari for a gluten-free option Vegan Cucumber Salad - The Salad is vegetarian by itself. Just swap out the honey for maple syrup to make it veganServing
For Best results, serve the salad immediately. As the Salad sits, the cucumber loses its water and becomes a little limp, especially if it's been cut too thin. But the taste is nevertheless on point. It can last on the counter without massive deterioration for 1 hour, after which it gets progressively soggy.Nutrition
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