For more crunchy cucumber salad recipes, try our creamy cucumber salad and Mexican cucumber salad! It pairs naturally with Thai food, but the flavor isn’t overwhelming so it can easily be served with a variety of main dishes. Since juicy, crisp cucumbers are exactly what we want to eat on hot days, this is the perfect side dish for summer. It’s an easy salad for barbecue season, and it doesn’t require refrigeration so it’s great for picnics and potlucks, too. We think it’s best enjoyed right away, but it can also be made ahead and stored in the fridge overnight. Some have said they like it even better when the cucumbers have had a chance to soak up the delicious dressing! Here’s everything you need to make the dressing:
Rice vinegar – rice vinegar is common in Asian cooking and has a mild, sweet flavor. If needed, you could use apple cider vinegar. Granulated sugar – a bit of granulated sugar adds sweetness and balances out the acidity from the vinegar. Coconut sugar would keep this refined sugar-free. Sesame oil – sesame oil comes from sesame seeds and has a wonderful nutty taste. You can use toasted or regular. Fish sauce – fish sauce acts as a seasoning adding saltiness and complexity to the dressing. Chili flakes – dried red pepper flakes add a bit of heat to the dressing. Feel free to add as many as you like (or omit them completely) depending on how spicy you’d like it.
Here’s what you need for the salad:
Cucumbers – we use mini cucumbers for this recipe because we like their crispiness, but English or Persian cucumbers work well, too. If all you have on hand are field cucumbers, peel them and remove the seeds. Red onion – thinly sliced red onion has a mild, sweet flavor that softens even more with the dressing. Peanuts – shelled, roasted, unsalted peanuts add protein and a wonderful nutty crunch. Cilantro – cilantro adds a pop of fresh citrusy flavor. Feel free to use other fresh herbs like mint or Thai basil.
Here’s how we make it in just three easy steps:
Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a pop of citrus flavor. If you like spicy food, add some sliced Thai chiles. Make it creamy by mixing in cubes of ripe avocado. Toss in a clove or two of minced garlic for a pungent kick of flavor.
In the pictures, we serve it alongside our Thai marinated chicken, but it also tastes amazing with our Thai chicken skewers. Make it a hearty meal with our cashew coconut salmon or crockpot Thai chicken curry and some of our favorite coconut rice.
Did you make this?
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