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Recipe 📖
Besides being so easy to whip up (10 minutes), this Asian salad recipe is also tangy, spicy, light, refreshing, and crunchy. The vinegar helps balance the sugar’s sweetness and the heat from the chillies. This hot Japanese Cucumber salad is one of the best! It’s so good that you would want to make it as an appetizer or side dish every week! Here are some of my favorite recipes with it - Cold Cucumber Soup, Cucumber Lemonade, Koshimbir, and Bombay Sandwich! Rice vinegar - is milder and gives this Asian spicy cucumber salad recipe a tangy flavor. Apple cider or Chinese black vinegar can also be added instead. Spices - red pepper flakes, cumin powder, mustard powder, and green chillies are added to give this cold Asian salad the required kick. Dukkah (Egyptian spice blend of nuts, seeds, and spices) is an optional ingredient. Nuts and seeds - toasted (black or/and white) sesame seeds, crushed roasted peanuts, and unsweetened shredded coconut are added for an extra bite and textural crunch. Sweetener - I have used sweet seasoning sauce. It helps balance the flavors. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, or vegan honey instead. Greens - cilantro gives this spicy Asian side dish an instant lift. Apart from these ingredients, you will also need olive oil or sesame oil to bring the vegan cucumber snack together.
How to make it 🔪
This sweet, tangy, and spicy vegan cucumber salad is a flavorful and healthy side dish. You can enjoy it as a palate cleanser or as a light snack. It’s also great for summer entertaining, potlucks, backyard parties, and brunches. This would also be a great meal-prep dish and weeknight recipe. Add a tablespoon of Gochujang and a teaspoon of Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) along with the other sauces to give this simple vegan chili cucumber salad a Korean flavor.
