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5.0 from 3 votes

Korean Cucumber Salad

Korean Cucumber Salad is a sweet and spicy side dish that’s perfect for a BBQ alongside other Korean dishes. If you’re looking for something fresh to add to the table, give this easy salad a try!

Prep Time
10 mins
Additional Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 85 kcal
Course: Side Dish , Salad
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

  • 1 Korean cucumber cut into rounds ¼” thick
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 talks scallions chopped
  • 1 tsp minced garlic 
  • 1 ½ tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ - 1 tbsp Korean Red Chili Flakes gochugaru
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Add the sliced cucumbers into a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 tbsp salt.
  2. Let the cucumbers sit for about 30 minutes until the salt removes the water from the cucumbers and the cucumbers can be folded in half without breaking.
  3. Rinse the cucumbers to remove the excess salt. Squeeze the cucumbers in a paper towel or a clean dish towel to remove excess water.
  4. Add the 2 chopped scallions, 1 tsp garlic, 1 ½ tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, and ½ tsp sugar into the bowl. Mix to combine and then pour over your cucumbers. Sprinkle the cucumbers with ½ - 1 tbsp Korean Red Chili Flakes and mix again.
  5. Sprinkle the Korean Cucumber Salad with 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds and stir one more time. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Recipe Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.
  • Korean Cucumber: Korean cucumbers are thin and long. They offer an excellent crunch and small seeds. They are also sweet and don’t have any bitterness. If you can’t find Korean cucumbers, just about any thin and long cucumber will work. Persian cucumbers and English cucumbers are usually easy to locate in America. Cucumbers with larger seeds will become soggy too quickly.
  • Gochugaru: Korean Red Chili Flakes, or gochugaru, is a red chili flake or powder that’s popular in Korean cooking and can usually be found in an Asian grocery store. It has a spiciness and sweetness to it that makes for the best flavor. American cayenne pepper or chili powder are just not the same. You can buy it online here.
  • Scallions: The scallions in this recipe balance out the sweetness of the cucumber. Some recipes also call for chopped onion. Any are fine, but if you feel the taste of chopped onion are too strong, try the scallions instead.
  • Minced Garlic: Chop your garlic very fine so it can mix well in the sauce. You could also use minced garlic from a jar.
  • Dressing: The soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil combine to make a savory dressing that is perfect with the crisp cool flavor of cucumber. If possible, search for Korean sesame oil.
  • The cucumbers will slice best when they are cold and crisp.
  • I toasted the sesame seeds myself but you can also buy them already toasted or use a drop of toasted sesame oil.
  • The sugar is optional. I felt like it brought out a great flavor in the dressing.
  • If you can’t find Korean Red Chili Flakes, then Korean red chili powder will also work. You may be able to substitute a mixture of smoky paprika and cayenne pepper if you cannot find gochugaru.
  • Serve right away for the best crunch or you can let the cucumber soak up the dressing for about ten minutes.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 85kcal (4%) Carbohydrates 6g (2%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Sodium 2048mg (85%) Potassium 208mg (6%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 1028IU (21%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 49mg (5%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 85

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 85kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Sodium 2048mg 85%
Potassium 208mg 4%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 1028IU 21%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 49mg 5%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.