Asian Spicy Sesame Cucumber Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to cut cucumber for a salad? ›

Step 1: Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise. Step 2 (optional): Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Step 3: Cut the halves in half lengthwise, so you have four total spears. You can cut the spears widthwise, depending on the desired length, to make smaller spears.

When small, Asian cucumbers are eaten like other cumbers, raw or pickles, but when they grow up, Asian cucumbers assume more of a sweet melon quality, at which point many of our Cambodian farmers recommend eating them with yogurt and honey. Large Asian cucumbers are also sometimes added to soups.

But even cucumbers can be elevated to greater deliciousness and versatility with a clever kitchen tip that you may not be aware of—salting. When you salt cucumber pieces or slices and let them sit for 30 minutes in a colander, the salt draws out excess moisture which then drains away.

The Japanese cucumber has several advantages over common cucumbers. It is slender, thin-skinned, void of developed seeds, never bitter and entirely edible. The average harvested length is about four inches, while the cucumber is still young. Its skin is forest green and smooth with longitudinal grooves.

For a quick and easy way to help ensure crisp pickles: soak cucumbers in ice water for 4 to 5 hours before pickling. This is a safer method for making crisp pickles. Using lime, or calcium hydroxide, in solution for soaking cucumbers changes the amount of acid in the cucumber tissue.

Should you peel your cucumbers for cucumber salad? Again, it depends on the variety and maturity of the cucumber. English or Persian cucumbers have thin skins which you do not need to peel. Regular market cucumbers may have thicker peels that can be tough and bitter, so it's best to peel those.

In Beijing, people buy whole chilled cucumbers from street vendors and munch them on the go, much as Americans become attached to their cups of iced coffee in summer. The smashing process, a classic Chinese technique, cracks the skin, helps release the seeds and splits the flesh into appealing craggy pieces.

According to Reema Kinjalkar, a nutritionist at Urban Platter, cucurbitacin imparts bitter taste. Some people with weak digestive health may find it hard to digest cucumber due to this compound, as it known to induce indigestion problems such as gas and bloating.

By crushing our cucumber before we cut it, we produce flavors that un-smashed cukes can't. When you crush the cells in a vegetable, as opposed to cutting cleanly through them, certain compounds get mixed together, which can result in a significantly different flavor.

This cucumber salad recipe features thinly sliced cucumbers, red onion, fresh dill, and a sweet and tangy vinegar dressing. Cooling and refreshing, this summer salad is a perfect BBQ or picnic side dish.

What is Chinese cucumber called? ›

Source: Wikipedia

It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it shares the name guālóu (Chinese: 栝楼) with the related T. rosthornii. It is known as "Chinese cucumber" and "Chinese snake gourd" in English.

Old cucumbers are developed from cucumbers that have been left on the vine to fully mature and somewhat harden. Many experts believe Old cucumbers are the mature form of the Chinese yellow cucumber. Today Old cucumbers are primarily localized to markets in Southeast Asia, China, and Korea.