Description
Crisp Korean cucumber salad dances with tangy sesame and garlic notes, delivering a refreshing punch of Korean culinary tradition. Zesty green cucumbers create a light, addictive side dish you’ll crave alongside grilled meats or as a quick, cool companion to rich meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Seasoning Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Garnish:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice cucumbers and generously coat with salt in a colander, allowing liquid to drain for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Thoroughly rinse cucumbers under cold water to eliminate excess salt, then gently pat dry using clean kitchen towels.
- Create a vibrant dressing by whisking together sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, and gochugaru in a spacious mixing bowl.
- Add drained cucumber slices and chopped green onions to the dressing, carefully mixing to ensure complete and even coating.
- Allow salad to marinate for 10-15 minutes, enabling flavors to permeate and intensify.
- Just before serving, garnish with toasted sesame seeds for added crunch and nutty dimension.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature, with the option to refrigerate for 2-3 hours for deeper flavor development.
Notes
- Drain cucumbers thoroughly to prevent watery salad, ensuring crisp and refreshing texture.
- Adjust spice level by modifying gochugaru amount for personal heat preference.
- Create low-sodium version by reducing or eliminating salt and using low-sodium soy sauce.
- Make ahead and refrigerate for enhanced flavor infusion, allowing ingredients to marinate and develop deeper taste profile.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks, Lunch
- Method: Pickling
- Cuisine: Korean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 70
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg