Light, refreshing and crisp Chinese garlic cucumber salad is a simple salad tossed in an Asian dressing with sesame oil, soy sauce and rice vinegar, and packed with a whole lot of flavour. It is a quick and easy side dish that can be served with almost any Chinese entree.
What is Chinese Cucumber Salad?
Chinese cucumber salad (known as pai huang gua) is a traditional Chinese salad packed with cucumbers. This is a dish that Danny has been enjoying pretty much his whole life. To make this salad, you will need:
- cucumbers - I peeled them but feel free to leave the peel on if you prefer. To make with the peel, I recommend Persian cucumbers or small English cucumbers as their skin is a lot softer.
- garlic
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- sesame oil
- chili oil - optional for a spicy kick.
- salt + sugar
- white sesame seeds - for garnish.
- cilantro - for garnish.
How to Make the Best Chinese Garlic Cucumber Salad
This simple salad takes about 5 minutes to make. First, prepare your ingredients. Peel cucumbers (or leave skin on if you prefer) and chop into 1-inch pieces. Then place into a large bowl. Add in garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil (if using), sugar, and salt. Toss to combine. Sprinkle sesame seeds and cilantro on top, and serve. So easy!
PRO TIP: Similar to a Persian Shirazi salad with cucumber and tomato, you can let this Chinese cucumber salad sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to really allow the flavours to infuse into each other.
How to Serve
Chinese garlic cucumber salad can be served with pretty much any Chinese dish. My favourites are with spicy dan dan noodles but they go with pretty much any noodle dish. I also like to serve this with a quick 10-minute vegetarian fried rice and crispy fried spring rolls. The options are really endless.
More Salad Recipes
- Persian Shirazi Salad with Cucumber and Tomato
- The Best Greek Salad
- Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
- Strawberry Avocado Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Summer Corn Salad
- Goat Cheese and Tangelo Winter Salad
Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
Don't forget to sign up for my email newsletter so that you don't miss any recipes. You can also follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more recipe updates.
Recipe
Chinese Garlic Cucumber Salad
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Light, refreshing and crisp Chinese garlic cucumber salad is a quick and easy, simple salad tossed in an Asian dressing and packed with a ton of flavour.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cucumbers, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chili oil (optional for a spicy kick)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds (for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Peel cucumbers and chop into 1-inch pieces and place into a large bowl. You can keep the skin on if you prefer.
- Add in garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil (if using), sugar, and salt. Toss to combine.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds and cilantro on top, and serve.
Notes
Similar to a Persian Shirazi salad with cucumber and tomato, you can let this Chinese cucumber salad sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to really allow the flavours to infuse into each other.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: Chinese
Food Blogger Business School
A step-by-step program that teaches food bloggers how to grow and scale their blogs into a full-time business
in less time and without posting endless content until you burn out.
Mery says
Great recipe! Thank you!!
Aline says
Made this recipe tonight and we loved it!!! So refreshing and full of delicious flavors - Definitely recommend and will be making it again this week!! Thank you!!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Aline! So happy you like the salad as much as we do!
Sandy says
We made this the other night and everyone loved it! We will definitely be making this again!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks Sandy! That makes me so happy to hear!