Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
In case you love cucumbers, and even if you happen to don’t, you need to do that Asian cucumber salad recipe! Smashing is crucial to the making and consuming expertise – it creates crevices for the chunky chilli dressing to nestle in. The proper mixture of refreshing and firecracker warmth. OBSESSED!
Everyone who is aware of me is aware of that I turn into obsessive about shiny new toys and proper now, that shiny new toy is Spicy Cucumber Salad. I’ve been making and consuming it obsessively for weeks, generally as a meal, defensively utilizing recipe checking as an excuse every time somebody commented on the presence of one more tub of this in my fridge.
It’s fast to make. An addictive mixture of refreshing cucumber with a spicy in-your-face dressing balanced with a beneficiant handful of inexperienced onion and eschallots.
I can’t wait so that you can turn into as obsessed as me. Let’s be defensive about our obsession collectively!
Frightened of the chilli? Make Smashed Cucumbers with ginger sauce as a substitute!
Cucumbers are slippery suckers. Dressing simply doesn’t follow it.
Which is why Asians are so keen on smashing cucumbers. Bash them with a meat mallet, rolling pin or different such heavy object in order that they burst open a bit. This creates splits and crevices for dressing and different salad add-ins (like inexperienced onions, sesame seeds) and many others to nestle in. Which suggests extra flavour in each chew. Plus you’ll be able to salt them which attracts extra water out which dilutes flavour if you eat them.
It’s an ideal method. It’s efficient for consuming expertise, and it’s fantastically therapeutic. Come dwelling after a nasty day at work and bash away!
Chilli crisp!
We’re welcoming again our previous buddy chilli crisp that I do know you dashed out to get to make the Chilli Crisp Noodles from a couple of weeks in the past. 😂 Provides nice crunch from crispy chilli bits, vibrant purple chilli oil and savoury flavour that every one comes free within the jar – particularly if you happen to get the worldwide favorite Laoganma Crispy Chilli Oil which is common for good purpose. (Pictured under)
Spiciness – Surprisingly not that spicy, it seems to be much more fierce than it really is! I can eat (small-ish) spoonfuls of it straight out of the jar.
Discover Laoganma Crispy Chilli Oil within the Asian aisle of enormous grocery shops (Aus: Woolies), else in Asian shops, and skim extra about this addictive paste within the Chilli Crisp Noodles. To not be confused with different chilli sauces made by this model and comparable, like Spicy Chilli Oil, Scorching Chilli Sauce, Scorching Chilli Oil. Search for the phrase CRISP or CRISPY or CRUNCH!
Different chilli crisp manufacturers – There’s lots on the market, mass produced and boutique ones. Bought beneath numerous names however all akin to comparable which means – crispy chilli oil, chilli crunch, crunchy chilli oil, and simply plainly “chilli crisp”. Additionally keep in mind within the States, chilli is spelt with one “l” – chili.
The salad issues
Right here’s what you want for the salad half:
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Cucumbers – Use 4 cucumbers round 19 – 20cm / 7-8″ lengthy. Scale up or down if yours are bigger or smaller. I take advantage of 4 of what we name Lebanese cucumbers right here in Australia (pictured) or 2 longer English / telegraph cucumbers that are round 30cm/1 foot lengthy.
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Eschallot / French onion – Known as shallots within the US, these child onions will not be as harsh onion-y and finer than common onions. I discover them a ache to peel – as a result of they’ve effective, papery pores and skin – so usually attempt to keep away from them except I actually do suppose it makes a dish higher. In at this time’s case, I like them as a result of a) we use them uncooked and b) they flop higher somewhat than being all pokey. Substitute with purple onion however slice them further finely. Perhaps use a mandolin.
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Inexperienced onion – For extra freshness within the salad. With all of the cucumber freshness and the daring spicy sauce, this salad can can take it. It needs it!
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Sesame seeds – Tossed into the salad for further sesame goodness.
The dressing
And right here’s all you want for the quite simple dressing. As a result of the chilli crisp does a lot of the flavour heavy lifting right here – it has garlic, salt, sugar, oil!
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Sesame oil – For lovely sesame flavour. Use toasted sesame oil – it’s brown and has extra flavour than untoasted (which is yellow). Default sesame oil offered in Australia is toasted, untoasted is more durable to seek out.
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Rice vinegar – As a result of it’s an Asian salad, we’re utilizing an Asian vinegar right here which is milder than most western vinegars. Nevertheless, any clear vinegar might be substituted in a pinch as a result of this isn’t a major ingredient – bizarre white vinegar, apple cider, champagne vinegar and many others.
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Soy sauce – The salt within the dressing. Use an all-purpose one or gentle soy sauce. Don’t use darkish soy sauce (too robust) or candy soy sauce (too candy).
Tremendous easy – smash cucumber, salt it (attracts out water that dilutes flavour), toss with 3 ingredient dressing and as a lot chilli crisp as you dare!
Smash and salt
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Smashing – Hit the cucumber with a meat mallet, rolling pin, hammer or comparable and relish within the stress aid or just benefit from the enjoyable issue. Hit onerous sufficient to make them cut up open down the edges however not so onerous you squish them into mush.
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Minimize the cucumber lengthwise down the center then into 2.4cm/1″ items.
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Salt half-hour – Put them in a bowl then toss with salt. Go away for half-hour. The salt will draw out water from the cucumbers which dilutes flavour if you eat them. It additionally seasons the cucumbers all the best way although.
We’re solely utilizing 3/4 teaspoon salt right here and also you’ll be stunned how efficient that is for the quantity of cucumber we’re utilizing.
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Drain and discard the cucumber water from the bowl (too salty to re-use for an additional goal). Use a colander if you wish to be thorough else simply drain it out of the bowl, utilizing your hand to carry the cucumbers in.
Costume & toss
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Dressing – Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar in a bowl till it combines correctly. You’ll know as a result of it turns into murky and thicker, somewhat than clear and cut up.
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Costume – Add inexperienced onion, eschallots, sesame and dressing in a bowl.
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CHILLI CRISP! Add 2 tablespoons of chilli crisp – or extra if you happen to dare! You wish to get a mound of the crispy chilli – will probably be nicely soaked with the purple chilli oil that colors this salad. You may all the time add extra after you toss. Style and add, style and add!
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Toss nicely till the eschalots turn into floppy. Then pile up excessive right into a shallow bowl and serve!
You’ll discover that the longer this salad sits round, the extra water is drawn out of the cucumbers. So a couple of hours after making / the subsequent day, it seems to be just like the above.
So, my uncommon consuming recommendation for this salad is as follows:
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Freshly made – The dressing is extra intense flavoured and coats / will get caught within the cucumber crevices higher, much less/little pooled on plate. Serve and eat with fork.
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After few hours / subsequent day – Dressing is diluted from further water drawn out of the cucumbers. It’s not watery and flavourless, nevertheless it’s not as intense as when freshly made. So eat with a spoon like soup to get loads of dressing in every mouthful. It’s so good!
Get pleasure from! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 4 cucumbers (~20cm/8", scale up/down for shorter/longer, Note 1)
- 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 eschalot/French onion , halved then very thinly sliced (US: shallot) (Note 2)
- 1 cup green onion , green part only finely sliced (1 large, 2 small stems)
- 2 tbsp+ chilli crisp (crispy chilli oil) – Laoganma is my fave (Note 3)
- 2 tsp white seame seeds , toasted (save some for topping)
- 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar (sub any clear vinegar)
- 2 tsp soy sauce , all-purpose or light (Note 4)
- 2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (ie brown, not yellow)
Instructions
- Smash – Hit cucumbers with a meat mallet, rolling pin or similar to make the sides burst open. Cut in half lengthwise then into 2.5cm/1" pieces.
- Salt 30 min – Place in a bowl, toss with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes to draw out water (Note 5). Drain/strain and discard salty water, leave cucumbers in same bowl.
- Whisk Dressing in a bowl.
- CHECK spiciness of your chilli crisp – they vary by brand. If using Laoganma, stick with recipe, else adjust to taste.
- Toss – Put green onion, eschalots, sesame seeds, dressing and chilli crisp in with the cucumbers. Toss until eschalots go floppy – ~30 seconds.
- Serve, sprinkled with extra sesame seeds and dollops of chilli crisp if you dare!
- Note: Water continues to come out of cucumbers so after few hours/next day, you'll have a lot more dressing but not as intense flavoured. So eat/serve with spoon to get plenty of dressing in every bite!
Notes
1. Cucumbers – I use four of what we call Lebanese cucumbers here in Australia, the equivalent is Persian in the US (though usually slightly smaller). Or 2 longer English / telegraph cucumbers which are around 30cm/1 foot long.
2. Eschalot/French onion – Called shallots in the US, not as hash onion-y as regular onions and more delicate so they flop and meld better. Sub with 1/s small red onion sliced extra finely.
3. Chilli crisp – Laoganma is the worldwide favourite, sold in large grocery stores as well as Asian stores. It’s actually not that spicy, it’s more about the crunchy chilli and salty/sweet flavour.
Plenty of other brands – look for (Asian) jars with the word CRISPY, CRUNCHY or CRUNCH in it! Tres trendy in the Western world (I’m late to the party). Use leftovers for Chilli Crisp Noodles!
4. Soy sauce – All purpose or light soy. Not dark (too intense) or sweet (too…sweet!).
5. Smashing/salting – Draws excess water out of cucumbers than makes flavour watery.
6. Leftovers good for 24 hours, after this the cucumbers go a little too soft for my taste.
Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings as a side.
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