Thin cucumber slices in a cream bowl with toasted sesame seeds and a light dressing
side Japanese vegetarianvegandairy-freelow-carb

Quick sesame cucumber salad

Crisp cucumber in a light rice vinegar dressing with sesame. Ten minutes, and it cuts through anything rich sitting next to it.

Prep10 min
Servings4
Cook mode

Ingredients

Units
Servings
4
  • 400 g cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 4 g fine salt
  • 45 ml rice vinegar
  • 10 ml toasted sesame oil
  • 8 g sugar
  • 6 g toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 red chile, thinly sliced (optional)

Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.

Method

  1. Slice the cucumber as thinly as you can. A mandoline earns its place here.
  2. Toss the slices with the salt and leave them in a colander for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the water that comes off. This is what keeps the salad crisp instead of watery.
  3. Whisk the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
  4. Toss everything together with the sesame seeds and the chile.
  5. Serve within an hour or two. It stays good overnight but loses some snap.

Notes

  • Any thin-skinned cucumber works. Peel a thick-skinned one.
  • Smash the cucumber with the flat of a knife instead of slicing it if you want the dressing to cling harder. Rougher edges hold more.
  • This is the standard partner for anything rich: Käse Spätzle, miso cod, or a plate of Maultaschen.

Good with

From Christoph Mayer

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