Asian Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad
Perfect Salad For Any Hearty Meal
This Asian Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad is so crisp and refreshing. It is well balanced in sweet, spice, fresh cilantro and delicious toasted sesame seeds. Pair this dish up with any Asian main course or summer BBQ on the grill. Pile this cucumber salad on top of a plate of fresh greens and enjoy a large dinner salad. It is so clean and light for summer dinners and outside celebrations. A salad all your friends and family will enjoy.
How To Make Asian Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad
I first fell in love with salad when I lived in Hawaii. It came as a side to local Mom and Pop take outs with seaweed salad, potato salad and sticky rice. Let’s not forget the marinated tofu! All I can say is “YUM!” So it is time to share this delicious memory with all of you. These are some of the items you will need for this recipe.
There are a couple of little tricks in creating this salad. First of all pick a wide bowl or container to put the dressing in because you will have to fit all the sliced onions in it. The onions have to be completely submerged in the liquid. Marinate in the bowl for about 30 to 40 minutes in the refrigerator. This helps the onions soften and release the intensity of the strong onion flavor to become mild and sweeter for the dish.
I have chopped and diced the ginger and garlic before but honestly it is a better to pound them with a pestle. I slice the ginger and garlic and smash them with the mortar and pestle until they start to become smaller bits. Do not smash them into a paste. Scrap all the bits and juice into the onion mixture. After mixing the ginger and garlic together with the dressing and onions, add the salt. Put back in the refrigerator to marinate.
How To Slice The Cucumber And Onions
Next peal the cucumbers and slice them thin. I use a mandoline slicer so that the cucumber are cut thin and evenly. I also used it to slice the onions. This is a very easy and quick way to cut them. Although you can cut them by hand at about 1/4 of an inch thick for both the cucumbers and onions. Just make sure they are thin so that they can absorb the dressing later when mixed together.
Then add the toasted sesame seeds, fresh cilantro and the marinated onions and dressing.
Before Serving Asian Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad
This salad can accumulate some water if it sits for awhile without serving it. The cucumber will expel some of its water because of the salt. This can pool at the bottom of the bowl. If this does then drain out some of the liquid trying not to lose the ginger and garlic pieces. You can adjust the marinade seasoning and add some more. You may have to add more sea salt or soy sauce. The cucumber and onions will be wimpy and this is how it is supposed to be. Don’t worry it will be very delicious and everyone will love it.
Before Serving you can also top the salad with fresh sliced green spring onions, more cilantro a couple of splashes of sesame oil, more toasted sesame seeds and red pepper flakes. This is a great salad but it will get wimpy by the next day. It is still delicious and you can freshen it up with these toppings if you wish. Plus, don’t forget to add a splash of garnish. I love a couple sprigs of cilantro for this.
You can make the marinade the day before to save some time. Although the rest of the salad has to be made the day you serve it if you don’t want the cucumbers to not get wimpy. This salad makes 4 to 6 servings and last in a closed tight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. I love this Asian Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad and I hope you do as well. Enjoy!
Asian Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad
Equipment
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Medium bowl to marinate onions in
- 1 Large stirring spoon
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Sharp cutting knife or mandoline slicer
- 1 Vegetable peeler
- 1 Pestle and mortar
Ingredients
Dressing Marinade
- 1 Tbsp Organic Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp Organic Sunflower Oil
- 2 tsp Sugar or Agave Nectar
- 3 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
Salad Ingredients
- 2 Lg English Cucumbers, 1 to 1¼ pound, pealed and thinly sliced
- 1 Sm Red Onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Fresh Cilantro, cleaned and chopped
- 2 inches Fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced
- 3 Lg Garlic Cloves, peeled and sliced
- 1½ Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together all the dressing for the marinade. Clean and cut the red onion thin at about ¼ of an inch. Put in the marinade and toss and flatten out into the dressing so as to cover the onions in the marinade dressing. Put in the refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Clean and peel the garlic and ginger. Slice them both very thin and put in the pestle and mortar and crush until the garlic and ginger are in pieces but not smashed into a paste. Add the salt and mix together.
- Take the marinade with onions out of the refrigerator and add the ginger and garlic mixture to the dressing marinade with the onions. Mix together and put back in the refrigerator.
- Clean peel and slice the cumber to about ¼ of an inch wide and but into the large bowl. Add the toasted sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro. Mix together. Then add the dressing marinade mixture with the onions, garlic and ginger to the large bowl of cucumbers and mix. Let it sit to mingle flavors for 10 minutes. Stir again before garnishing. Ready to serve.
- Enjoy!