Remember when the spiralizer took the food world by storm, and we were all turning zucchini into noodles? I absolutely fell for the trend and published quite a few zucchini noodle recipes, like this red curry wonton soup. It’s been years since I’ve touched my spiralizer, but I found it recently while cleaning out my garage. It actually came in very handy because I’ve been using it to make countless cucumber salads to help me endure the intense heat of the Sacramento summer.
While I love a good smashed cucumber salad, it’s been fun eating a salad of thinly cut cucumber ribbons. This Asian cucumber salad comes together in less than 15 minutes! Simply toss cucumber ribbons with a zingy miso and apple cider vinegar dressing and sprinkle furikake on top for more flavor. You can serve it with a side of fluffy jasmine rice and Cajun-spiced roasted salmon or take this to a potluck or BBQ!
COOKING NOTES FOR ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD
DIFFERENT WAYS TO CUT CUCUMBERS
I used the OXO spiralizer, fitted with the flat blade attachment to make cucumber ribbons (see photo above). If you also have a spiralizer, use it for this recipe!
If you don’t, you can make cucumber ribbons with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline slicer.
Alternatively, you can make spiralized cucumbers with this slicing method that I’ve seen in a lot of videos lately. Lay 2 chopsticks alongside the cucumber. Next, make thin diagonal cuts along the cucumber (see photo above, step #1). You don’t want to slice the cucumber all the way through. The chopsticks are there to prevent that from happening.
After you’ve made diagonal cuts along the cucumber, turn it over so the uncut side is facing up. Then, slice cut the cucumber horizontally (see photo above, step #2). Once you’re done slicing, you’ll get a spiral-cut cucumber that’s reminiscent of a slinky toy (#3 in the photo above). Honestly, this is not my favorite method of slicing cucumbers because it makes them difficult to eat. It is fun to try once and see what it’s like.
Finally, you can always keep things simple and make thin cucumber slices. You’ll still end up with a delicious Asian cucumber salad once you toss the cucumbers with the dressing.
DRESSING INGREDIENTS
I’ve kept the ingredients for the dressing pretty straightforward, but I just wanted to go over a few of them in greater detail.
Miso: I used 2 brands of white miso (also known as shiro miso) when testing this recipe (Miso Master and Miko Brand). Miso Master has a nice malty, subtly sweet flavor; I used 4 tablespoons of miso when testing with this brand. Miko Brand is much saltier, so about 3 tablespoons (maybe a smidge more) was enough. There’s so many other brands of miso out there with varying levels of sodium. My advice when making the dressing is to start with 3 tablespoons of miso. Give the dressing a taste and add more miso if needed. Remember, you’re using the dressing to toss relatively bland cucumbers. It’s okay if the dressing is on the slightly salty side when you taste it on its own.
If red miso or a darker miso is the only kind you can find, no worries. Just know that red miso has a stronger funky fermented flavor. Therefore, I recommend starting off with about 2 tablespoons of red miso. After you mix the dressing ingredients together, taste and see if it needs more miso.
Toasted (or roasted) sesame oil: This type of oil is usually darker in color and has a very nutty aroma that complements miso very well. Although it has a lovely flavor, if you use too much of the oil, it’ll overpower all the other ingredients. That’s why I suggest using equal parts of the sesame oil and olive oil in the dressing. If you don’t have any toasted sesame oil around, just use more olive oil.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
You can make the miso dressing for up to a week ahead. For the cucumbers, you can slice them up to a day ahead. Make sure to store the cut cucumbers in a container lined with paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Don’t toss this salad until you are ready to serve. The cucumbers release a lot of moisture, so if you toss the salad too far ahead of time, you’ll just end up with a pool of liquid at the bottom of your bowl.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD
CARBS
- Plain rice, such as short-grain brown rice or perfectly cooked jasmine rice
- Fried rice: egg fried rice, chicken fried rice
- Noodles: spicy sambal noodles
PROTEIN
Asian Cucumber Salad with Miso Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 tablespoons white miso (see note 1)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar can sub with rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup can sub with honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted (or roasted) sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large clove of garlic grated
- 2 English cucumbers (see note 2)
- furikake for topping (see note 3)
Instructions
Make the Dressing (Immersion Blender Method)
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Add 3 tablespoons of miso, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, olive oil, and garlic to a wide-mouth jar. Use an immersion blender to blend all the ingredients together. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to suit your taste, adding more miso if the dressing isn’t flavorful enough. I like a very tangy dressing for this recipe, as cucumbers don’t have too much flavor. So I typically use 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Let the dressing sit while you prepare the cucumbers.
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Making Dressing Without an Immersion Blender
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In a bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of miso and 1 1/2 tablespoons of hot water (I usually boil water in my electric kettle). The hot water will help loosen up the miso into a softer paste so it blends with the other ingredients more easily. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, olive oil, and garlic. Whisk everything together again. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to suit your taste, adding more miso or vinegar, if needed.
Cut Cucumbers
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Slice the ends of the cucumbers and then slice in half. If you are using the spiralizer to make ribbons, slide the flat ribbon blade into the machine. Dock the spiralizer on your counter. Attach one end of the cucumber to the prongs (where the handle is) and attach the other end to the small metal ring sticking out of the ribbon blade.
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Turn the hand crank to start cutting the cucumber with one hand. As you turn the crank, push the side handle with your other hand to guide the cucumber towards the blade. Keep doing this until you reach the end of the cucumber. Remove the core and repeat with the remaining cucumber halves.
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The cucumber ribbons are usually very, very long after they’re spiralized. I like to rip them into 8 to 10 inch sections so they’re easier to eat. You don’t need to pull out a ruler for this–just eyeball it.
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If you don’t have a spiralizer, use a vegetable peeler or a mandoline slicer to make cucumber ribbons. You can also just slice the cucumbers thinly.
Finish Salad
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Transfer the cucumber ribbons to a large bowl. Add several large spoonfuls of the miso dressing and gently toss with the cucumbers. Sprinkle a generous amount of furikake over the salad for more flavor.
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Serve the cucumber salad with the remaining dressing on the side. You may want to spoon more dressing onto the cucumbers for more tangy flavor.
Notes
- White miso is also known as shiro miso. I used 2 brands of white miso when testing this recipe (Miso Master and Miko Brand). Miso Master was more mild and sweeter, so I used 4 tablespoons for the dressing. Miko Brand was much saltier, and 3 tablespoons of miso was enough. There’s so many other brands of miso out on the market with varying levels of sodium. Start with 3 tablespoons of the miso when making the dressing, taste, and adjust the seasonings to suit your taste.
- English Cucumbers: I like using these larger cucumbers that are usually shrink-wrapped in plastic because they’re straight and easy to cut with a spiralizer. Japanese cucumbers or Persian cucumbers will work, too.
- Furikake is a Japanese seasoning that people sprinkle over rice to add flavor. There are many varieties of furikake, some of which contain any combination of umami ingredients, such as seaweed, sesame seeds, kelp, fried onions, and/or bonito (fish) flakes. For this salad, I’ve used 2 types of furikake. One is from Kyoto, which has chili flakes, sesame seeds, and fried scallions. The other had seaweed and bonito. If you don’t have furikake, try adding toasted sesame seeds and/or fried onions.
Nutrition
Related Recipe: Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
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