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–+ servings
A close up look of sliced cucumber salad in a white bowl
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5 from 2 votes

5-minute spicy garlic cucumber salad

This refreshing garlic cucumber salad is an ideal side dish to balance a heavy main course thanks to its crisp texture and addictive spicy sauce. You'll love it with the original Chinese sauce or the variation sauce if you can't source the exotic ingredients.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time0 mins
Total Time5 mins
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: 10 ingredients or less, 5-minute recipe, gluten-free, no-cook, salad, sauce, spicy, summer, vegan
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 21kcal
Author: Anna Rider
Cost: $6

Equipment

  • Chopping Board
  • Knife
  • mandoline
  • Garlic Press
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 1.1 lb Cucumbers Persian cucumbers are ideal
  • 3 cloves garlic fresh garlic - add more or less based on your preference, or substitute with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Original sauce

  • 1 tablespoon vinegar you can substitute with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Lao Gan Ma chili sauce substitute with 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn oil substitute with 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Gather the ingredients.
    An overhead view of all the ingredients needed for the garlic cucumber salad

Smash the cucumbers

  • Wash and slice the ends off the cucumbers.
  • Line up the flat edge of your chef's knife along a cucumber. Push the knife into the cucumber to flatten it.
  • Cut the smashed cucumber into smaller bite-sized pieces. Set aside for later.
    4 images of how to crush and chop cucumbers for the salad

Or slice with a mandoline

  • After washing and cutting the ends off the cucumbers, run the cucumber through a mandoline to slice them thinly and uniformly. Remember to use the hand guard for protection.
    2 images of how to slice cucumbers with a mandoline for the salad

Make the garlic dressing

  • Peel the fresh garlic. Crush each clove with a garlic press. Put the pressed garlic into a small container with a tight lid.
  • Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, chili sauce, and Sichuan peppercorn oil to the pressed garlic. Mix until well combined. You can seal the container with the lid and shake to mix the dressing. Stir the dressing into the cut cucumbers. Serve immediately. Enjoy your spicy garlic cucumber salad!
    3 images that show how to make the garlic dressing

Notes

See the table for converting from the original to the variation ingredients to make the salad dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 21kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 374mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg