Cucumber Salad With Soy, Ginger and Garlic

We’ve been making this weekly since the beginning of quarantine, roughly 28 years or so. We landed on three modifications: skip the sugar, add a splash of fish sauce, Thai peppers for heat. Modifications to avoid: bleach, hydroxychloroquine, and any form of alien DNA. Stay safe eat well.

I've made this several times and love it, although I struggle to rid the cucumbers of the salt even after several rinses. I've taken to slicing them and sandwiching them between lots of paper towels for at least an hour. The paper towels can then be dried and reused. Chopped peanuts are a nice addition to this as well.

Lots of the water in a cucumber is in the seeds. If you halve the cuke lengthways and scrape them out with a teaspoon before slicing thinly, you'll need to add far less salt, and they won't be nearly as watery.

Great salad--cool yet hot. I think the soy sauce, garlic, ginger,cayenne and sesame oil are essential. Other ingredients can be substituted. I used sherry vinegar, which was fine, and agave nectar (always) as a sub for sugar. To guarantee success, I recommend slicing cukes with a mandeline, they'll be very thin and perfectly consistent.

A Squirt of Siracha Sauce can replace the cayenne. Or substitute half of the dark sesame oil for hot (chili) sesame oil. Fresh chives works well (instead of scallions)

To slice the cucumbers really thin, Norwegians use a cheese slicer. Works like a charm.

Dear me. I feel like I'm back at Oberlin.

I think the best way to regard this recipe – – and its name – – is as a hybrid dish featuring flavors that are enjoyed by many Asian cultures.

I can tell you one thing for sure: whatever you call it, it's delicious.

I am saddened that a good recipe is tarnished by such a name! Would NYT Cooking title a dish with "European Flavors"? I expect not as readily, and advocate updating this recipe title to respect the diversity and complexity of the many cultures of Asia.

The dressing for this delicious salad is very similar to the Smashed Cucumber Salad. I've prepared both with excellent results. For this one, I used Schezuan pepper corns and sweetened it with a bit of mirin. In deference to my husband (who detests garlic) I left it out. I used Himalayan sea salt on the cucumbers and dried them with a tea towel. So, no need for the soy sauce. Both these salads are winners.

I add avocados to this.. amazing!

I liked this salad a lot, but prefer it without the cayenne. Also like to use English seedless cucumbers sliced lengthwise on a mandoline.

It reminded me of a dressing for cold noodles so I spiraled a zucchini into it. Yummy.

I liked it... I didn't love it. My husband makes a simple cucumber salad with white vinegar, red onions, garlic, salt and pepper that tastes brighter and more flavorful. We also do that recipe by cutting the cucumber in half lengthways, scraping out seeds and doing ¼" slices which I like better and which are way easier to cut. All a matter of opinion I guess.

I make this all the time. Very simple, clean, fresh tastes. I use gochujang (red korean pepper) for a simple kick.

I didn't have enough cucumber so added grated carrot. Also I used pickled ginger instead of grated fresh ginger and reduced the sugar. Very good!