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Home » Recipes » Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe

Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe

by Mike Hultquist · Jul 20, 2022 · 6 Comments

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Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sichuan Style - Qiang Huanggua)

This Asian cucumber salad recipe is ready in minutes with sliced cucumbers tossed with sesame oil, chili flakes and spicy Sichuan peppercorns, so light refreshing!

Sichuan Spiced Cucumber Salad with lots of dressing

The Best Asian Cucumber Salad with Sichuan Flavors

If you're looking for a cucumber salad that everyone will remember, this Asian Cucumber Salad recipe is everything you need.

This is a Chinese version of the dish from the Sichuan province, where spices rule supreme.

The crisp cucumbers are imbued with the flavors of sesame oil, warming chili flakes, and vibrant Sichuan peppercorns, known for their tongue-numbing sensation. It's particularly easy to make ahead of time, and best served cold.

It's also an attractive looking dish, extremely inviting for those who love cucumber, and even to those who may shy away from them.

You'll definitely convert people with my version of the recipe.

Let's talk about how to make Asian cucumber salad, shall we?

Asian Cucumber Salad Ingredients

  • Cucumber. Any cucumber will work for this recipe, a regular cucumber from the market, English cucumber, even mini cucumbers, as long as they're nice and fresh.
  • Salt. For seasoning and draining the cucumbers of excessive moisture.
  • Vegetable Oil. For stir frying.
  • Crushed Dried Chilies. I like to crush up dried Sichuan chilies if I can find them, but spicy chile de arbol is great for this, or just use common red pepper flakes.
  • Sichuan Peppercorns. For that wonderful tongue-numbing quality.
  • Sesame Oil.
  • Chili Crisp. Chili crisp is a spiced chili oil with crispy bits. You can make this recipe without it, but I highly recommend the addition, as it is so huge on flavor. Try my homemade chili crisp recipe, which I think is the best around.
  • Toasted Sesame Seeds. For garnish.

How to Make Asian Cucumber - the Recipe Method

Slice the Cucumbers. Slice the cucumber into bite-sized pieces, either lengthwise or in wedges. You can core out the seeds and pulp if desired before slicing.

Slicing cucumbers to make Sichuan spiced cucumber salad

Drain the Liquids. Transfer to a small bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix and let sit for 30 minutes to drain. You can skip this step if you're in a hurry.

Sliced cucumbers draining in a bowl

TIP: Salting the cucumbers will allow the water to drain from them, resulting in a crunchier cucumber salad.

Dry the Cucumbers. Drain the liquid and dry the thinly sliced cucumber slices.

Stir Fry the Spices. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan to high heat. Add the crushed chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. Stir fry for 30 seconds to darken, but do not burn the ingredients.

Sichuan spices for making Asian Cucumber Salad

Stir Fry the Cucumbers. Add the cucumber slices and stir fry for 10 seconds only, just to warm them. You don't want to cook them through or they will soften.

Quickly stir frying the cucumbers with Sichuan spices

Toss with Oils. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with sesame oil and chili crisp (if using).

Garnish and Serve. Garnish with toasted white or black sesame seeds and chill. Best served cold.

Sichuan Spiced Cucumber Salad ready to serve

Boom! Done! Your Asian cucumber salad is ready to serve. This is so easy to make, the perfect side dish, with all those wonderful spices and Sichuan flavor.

Recipe Tips & Notes

  • The key to success with this recipe is stir frying the cucumbers very quickly, only briefly to warm them, which retains their wonderful crunch.
  • Prepare your Asian cucumber salad hours in advance in order to let the flavors mingle and develop.
  • For additional flavor variations, consider adding soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, or black vinegar.
  • If you're coring the cucumbers, save the discarded pulp and use it to make refreshing cucumber water, or dehydrate it to make cucumber powder, which can be used as a seasoning.

Serving Suggestions

Dry fried green beans are the perfect side dish for many Asian dishes. Try it with my Szechuan Chicken recipe, Kung Pao Chicken recipe, Cashew Chicken, or my General Tso's Chicken recipe.

Storage

This recipe will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. No need to heat it, as it is best served cold.

This is not a dish you can freeze, as the cucumbers will become soft and mushy.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this Sichuan spiced cucumber salad recipe. Let me know if you make it and how you served it. I hope everyone enjoys it!

It's naturally gluten free.

Cookbook Recommendation

Amazon Affiliate links, my friends!

If you love spicy and bold Chinese cuisine, I highly recommend this cookbook, which highlights Chinese food from the Sichuan province. I'm learning very much from this book and used it to adapt this recipe.

  • The Food of Sichuan, by Fuchsia Dunlop (affiliate link, my friends!)
  • Chili Crisp. I make a homemade version, but there are many great brands available. Try them all!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

  • Mapo Tofu
  • Dan Dan Noodles
  • Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
  • Dragon Chicken
  • Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
  • Hot and Sour Soup
  • Shuizhu Yu (Boiled Fish In A Seething Sea Of Chilies)
Sichuan Spiced Cucumber Salad on a plate

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sichuan Style - Qiang Huanggua)
Print

Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sichuan Style) – Qiang Huanggua

This Asian cucumber salad recipe is ready in minutes with sliced cucumbers tossed with sesame oil, chili flakes and spicy Sichuan peppercorns, so light refreshing!
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: chili flakes, cucumbers, sesame oil, Sichuan
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
Calories: 107kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 2
Tap or hover to scale
5 from 2 votes
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 1 large cucumber
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons crushed dried chilies see options below
  • 1 teaspoon whole Sichuan peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon chili crisp optional
  • Toasted sesame seeds for serving

Instructions

  • Slice the cucumber into bite-sized pieces, either lengthwise or in wedges. You can core out the seeds and pulp if desired before slicing.
  • Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix and let sit for 30 minutes to drain.
  • Drain the liquid and dry the cucumber slices.
  • Heat the oil in a wok or large pan to high heat.
  • Add the crushed chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. Stir fry for 30 seconds to darken, but do not burn the ingredients.
  • Add the cucumber slices and stir fry for 10 seconds only, just to warm them.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with sesame oil and chili crisp (if using).
  • Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chill. Best served cold.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 107kcal   Carbohydrates: 15g   Protein: 3g   Fat: 5g   Saturated Fat: 1g   Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g   Monounsaturated Fat: 2g   Sodium: 598mg   Potassium: 510mg   Fiber: 6g   Sugar: 8g   Vitamin A: 4037IU   Vitamin C: 9mg   Calcium: 38mg   Iron: 1mg
Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sichuan Style - Qiang Huanggua)
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.
Sichuan Spiced Cucumber Salad on a plate with garnish

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Steve says

    March 30, 2023 at 7:08 pm

    I could not find the link to the chili crisp option. Also, does this recipe use the Asian cucumbers that I see in the market, or do regular American cucumbers work too? It looks like a delicious salad, but I want to make sure that I get the ingredients right before I serve it the first time to friends.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      April 01, 2023 at 8:09 am

      You can make this with regular cucumbers, Steve. It's very good. Here is the link to the chili crisp: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/chili-crisp/

      Reply
  2. Raimo Tarkkonen says

    July 22, 2022 at 6:09 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe! Found this one first and got guided to chili crisp recipe. So its a double slam.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      July 22, 2022 at 11:19 pm

      Boom! Thanks, Raimo! Glad you found some recipes you like! =) Thanks for sharing your comments!

      Reply
  3. Vincent Eva says

    July 20, 2022 at 10:00 am

    5 stars
    Hi
    Thank you for the recipes received to date. This cucumber salad is going to be a real hit here in South Africa. Thank you so much

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      July 20, 2022 at 11:32 am

      Wonderful! Thanks, Vincent! Enjoy!

      Reply

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