Chinese Cucumber Salad
This Chinese Cucumber Salad is simple and refreshing, with a mild garlic flavor balanced with the perfect amount of salt and rice vinegar. The secret is making a mild garlic oil in addition to a little bit of raw garlic!
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 6 cloves garlic ((minced very finely, almost like a paste))
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 English cucumbers
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon MSG ((optional))
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- 1
First prepare the garlic. When you’ve minced all of the garlic, set aside the equivalent of 1 clove.
- 2
Mix the oil and the rest of the garlic together, and set over medium-heat in a saucepan. Cook lightly for 2-3 minutes. Some foam will appear as the water in the garlic escapes. Do not let the garlic brown! This process takes about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- 3
Chop the cucumbers into quarters lengthwise and then into ½-inch chunks. Transfer to a bowl. Add the garlic oil, salt, sugar, pinch of MSG if using, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. Finally, add the reserved minced raw garlic. Stir thoroughly to coat everything.
- 4
For the best results, let sit for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld.