Description
This Korean cucumber salad is a refreshing, spicy, and tangy side dish made with crisp cucumbers, bold seasonings, and a quick, flavorful dressing. Perfect for summer meals, BBQs, or light snacking, it’s naturally vegan, simple to make, and easy to customize.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt (for drawing moisture)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- Optional toppings: sliced green onions, red chili slices, fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Wash and thinly slice the cucumbers.
- Sprinkle them with salt and let sit for 10 minutes to draw out moisture.
- Rinse and pat the cucumbers dry.
- In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, gochugaru, sugar, and minced garlic.
- Toss the cucumbers in the dressing until well coated.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and optional toppings.
- Let sit for 5–10 minutes before serving for best flavor.
Notes
- Use Persian cucumbers for best texture.
- Adjust gochugaru to taste for spiciness.
- Serve chilled for a refreshing flavor.
- Avoid overmixing to keep the cucumbers crunchy.
- Best enjoyed fresh or within 1–2 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad, Side Dish
- Method: No-Cook / Tossed
- Cuisine: Korean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 60
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 4.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg