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    Home » All Recipes » Asian Recipes

    Crunchy Asian Cucumber Salad

    Published: Mar 29, 2019 · Modified: Jan 11, 2020 by Jamie · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 34 Comments

    3.4K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    This Asian cucumber salad is healthy, crunchy, and refreshing! Tossed in a simple dressing of rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, and chili oil. A Din Tai Fung cucumber salad copycat recipe.

    asian cucumber salad, din tai fung cucumber salad copycat

    This crunchy Asian cucumber salad is a refreshing side dish or appetizer to any Asian meal. It's made with lightly brined Persian cucumbers and dressed in a simple garlicky Asian vinaigrette.

    asian cucumber salad, din tai fung cucumber salad copycat

    This is a Din Tai Fung cucumber salad copycat recipe. For those of you who haven't heard of Din Tai Fung, it's a popular restaurant here in Seattle that makes amazing dumplings, rice cakes, and Asian sides. This is one of their most popular sides, which I crave frequently. I see it on every table whenever I go. The problem is, it also takes about 45 minutes to get a table! So I had to figure out how to make this cucumber salad at home.

    Try these Din Tai Fung Inspired Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans or Din Tai Fung Stir Fried Shanghai Rice Cakes:

    Chinese style dry fried garlic green beans, Din Tai Fung green beans

    Din Tai Fung - Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans

    Stir Fried Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes with mushrooms and chicken in a white bowl, chao nian gao

    Din Tai Fung Stir Fried Shanghai Rice Cakes

    asian cucumber salad, din tai fung cucumber salad copycat

    After experimenting a few times with different dressings and cucumbers, I think I hit the nail on the head. This is a pretty darn good copycat of the Din Tai Fung cucumber salad, if I say so myself. 🙂asian cucumber salad, din tai fung cucumber salad copycat

    Tips for Asian Cucumber Salad:

    Start with a little over 4 cups of coined Persian cucumbers, about 15 of them. Add 1 Tablespoon of sea salt and toss them together. The cucumbers will start to release their liquid as they start absorbing the salt. You'll end up with super crunchy cucumbers after the brine. I let mine sit for 45 minutes but you could go as little as 30 minutes.

    chopped persian cucumbers with salt in a bowl
    Salt the cucumbers and let them brine.
    chopped green persian cucumbers in a bowl next to a garlic chili oil dressing
    Toss with a simple, garlicky Asian dressing.

    While that's brining, prepare the simple dressing of rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, and chili oil.

    asian cucumber salad, din tai fung cucumber salad copycat

    This Asian cucumber salad is delicious served immediately but I find it tastes the best when served chilled. I like to let the cucumbers brine in the fridge so that they're cold and ready to be tossed in the dressing.

    asian cucumber salad, din tai fung cucumber salad copycat

    asian cucumber salad, din tai fung cucumber salad copycat

    I hope you make this Din Tai Fung Asian cucumber salad! Please share, rate, and comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

    Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for recipe updates and occasional kitchen tips and tricks! Also come find me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Stop by and leave me a message! I love reading your comments!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

    Jamie


    You might like these other recipes!

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    Chinese style dry fried garlic green beans, Din Tai Fung green beans
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    *This post may contain affiliate links which means any purchases made through my link pay out a small commission without any extra cost to you. All opinions are my own and I only recommend products that I know, personally use, and trust. For more information, please see my Privacy Policy.

    Din Tai Fung cucumber salad with garlic and red pepper

    Crunchy Asian Cucumber Salad

    This Asian cucumber salad is healthy, crunchy, and refreshing! Tossed in a simple dressing of rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, and chili oil. A Din Tai Fung cucumber salad copycat recipe.
    5 from 104 votes
    Pin Share Print
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Taiwanese
    Servings 4

    ☑ Ingredients
     

    • 15 persian cucumbers - cut ½" thick, a little over 4 cups
    • 1 Tablespoon sea salt

    Cucumber Salad Dressing

    • 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar - unseasoned
    • 2 Tablespoons sugar
    • 3 ½ Tablespoons water
    • 1 Tablespoon chili oil
    • 4 garlic cloves - thinly sliced
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Mix together the cucumbers and salt in a large bowl and let it sit for 30 - 45 minutes. Rinse with water 2 - 3 times. Taste the cucumber and rinse one more time if it's too salty.
    • Meanwhile mix together all the ingredients for the cucumber salad dressing.
    • Toss the rinsed cucumbers with the dressing and serve immediately. See notes if you don't plan to serve this until later.

    ✎ Recipe Notes

    Note: If not serving immediately, do not mix with the dressing. The cucumbers will release additional liquid. When ready to serve, drain the cucumber of any excess liquid and toss with the dressing. Keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 92.29kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.62g | Protein: 1.55g | Fat: 3.75g | Saturated Fat: 0.56g | Sodium: 1749.85mg | Potassium: 320.73mg | Fiber: 1.11g | Sugar: 9.53g | Vitamin A: 220.5IU | Vitamin C: 6.81mg | Calcium: 39.03mg | Iron: 0.64mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was and give it a 5 star rating! Tag @drivemehungry to show off your creations! I love seeing your photos!

    *Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.

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    3.4K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emily Wedin

      May 18, 2022 at 5:32 pm

      I’m really confused as to how this recipe calls for 15 cucumbers. Id imagine even with small Persian cucumbers, there would be way more than 4 cups of sliced cucumbers from 15 whole cucumbers. Am I missing something?

      Reply
      • Jamie

        May 19, 2022 at 5:24 pm

        Hi Emily! I guess my cucumbers were really small but you can use any amount that measures out to 4 cups.

        Reply
    2. Julia

      September 28, 2021 at 4:55 pm

      5 stars
      I just picked the last of the cucumbers from the garden and made this delicious salad. I followed the recipe exactly, except I added crushed red pepper flakes instead of chilli oil. It is so good. Fresh and tasty - everything you would want from a salad.

      Reply
      • Jamie

        October 07, 2021 at 2:12 am

        Thank you so much Julia! That makes me so happy to hear!

        Reply
    3. Eza

      September 07, 2021 at 6:23 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Thanks for sharing! I added a splash of toasted sesame oil to the sauce and came out great!

      Reply
      • Jamie

        October 07, 2021 at 2:12 am

        Glad to hear it Eza! Thanks for trying it out! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Diana

      March 31, 2021 at 7:25 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks for the awesome recipe, Jamie! I would probably do less salt for the brine next time bc it still ended up a tad bit too salty even with the rinsing 😅 Overall, flavors were great. And I only used 1 tbsp of sugar 🙂 Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jamie

        April 01, 2021 at 12:15 am

        Thanks Diana! So happy to hear you enjoyed the flavors. And definitely adjust according to taste, it's so customizable isn't it? 🙂

        Reply
      • Ebeeza

        September 07, 2021 at 6:30 pm

        I actually noticed a big difference depending what kind of salt is used. The first time I made it w a generic brand of sea salt and the cucumbers were def on the salty side. So the next time I made w pink Himalayan salt (same amount) and it came outperfect!

        Reply
    5. Lisa H

      January 21, 2021 at 11:40 am

      Hi. Thank you. This is delicious! Our Din Tai Fung also added toasted sesame oil.

      Reply
    6. eileen

      November 10, 2020 at 3:52 am

      Hello, Could your recommend a substitute for the chili oil
      Thank You

      Reply
      • Jamie

        November 12, 2020 at 4:25 pm

        Hi Eileen! You can add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes and a drizzle of oil. Hope that helps! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Harriet

      September 12, 2020 at 5:56 pm

      5 stars
      My hubby and I love this recipe! We have made it four times so far, and just can't get enough of this!! SO easy!!!!

      Reply
      • Jamie

        December 11, 2020 at 2:32 am

        Thanks Harriet! It's such an easy cucumber salad with so much flavor!

        Reply
    8. Anna

      July 21, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      5 stars
      I made this a few months ago and forgot to comment! We had an excess amount of cucumbers from a very flourishing plant. I was looking for many new ways to enjoy them.... there are only so many plain cucumber salads you can eat. This salad was fabulous - we loved the crunch of the cucumber and the fresh flavours from the dressing. Tasty!

      Reply
    9. Linda

      May 10, 2020 at 11:11 pm

      5 stars
      Only 45 mins wait to get into Din Tai Fung? I'm jealous! We wait well over an hour in Glendale (in Los Angeles). This is a favorite FAVORITE dish of ours. Thanks so much for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Jamie

        May 13, 2020 at 9:09 pm

        Thanks Linda! Haha sometimes it's longer than 45 minutes but we usually wait if we have the time lol. So glad you enjoyed this! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Kara

      March 05, 2020 at 12:46 pm

      5 stars
      So good! Thanks for the recipe! How exactly do you make the garnish?

      Thanks again 🙂

      Reply
      • Jamie

        March 11, 2020 at 12:12 am

        Hi Kara! So glad you liked this! For the garnish, I just placed a thin slice of garlic from the dressing and topped it with a piece of red pepper. That's how it's served at the restaurant that inspired this dish. 🙂

        Reply
    11. Skye

      February 17, 2020 at 9:37 pm

      5 stars
      I love the din tai fung cucumber salad! This was amazing, the only think I did differently was just add a little sesame oil and some pepper flakes. Will 100% be making again. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jamie

        March 01, 2020 at 11:14 pm

        Hi Skye! So glad you liked it! That's a great idea adding sesame oil. 🙂

        Reply
    12. Yiling

      January 23, 2020 at 9:11 am

      5 stars
      this was excellent and a great appetizer!

      Reply
      • Jamie

        January 24, 2020 at 11:35 pm

        Thank you! So glad you liked it Yiling! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Beth

      November 14, 2019 at 9:05 pm

      5 stars
      I have a daughter who is obsessed with cucumbers! She will LOVE this! I had no idea there were so many varieties of cucumbers! Going to look for the Persian kind.

      Reply
    14. Anjali @ The Picky Eater

      November 14, 2019 at 8:09 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was so easy to make and I loved the sweet + spicy flavors in the dressing, it paired so well with the fresh, crunchy cucumbers!

      Reply
    15. Anita

      November 14, 2019 at 7:41 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a refreshing and easy cucumber salad. Getting a table at Din Tai Fung is no joke. I haven't been to the one in Seattle but can confirm that the one in Jakarta (Indonesia) always has a long queue too. 🙂

      Reply
    16. Kelly Anthony

      November 14, 2019 at 5:27 pm

      5 stars
      I love finding a great copycat recipe because it saves me money while still getting to enjoy amazing food.

      Reply
    17. Shay

      October 20, 2019 at 2:06 pm

      5 stars
      This was just like the cucumber salad at din tai fung. I'm so glad I found this recipe!

      Reply
      • Jamie

        November 06, 2019 at 12:44 am

        Thank you so much Shay! So glad you enjoyed it.

        Reply
    18. Ashley

      September 15, 2019 at 10:38 am

      5 stars
      This was so good! The cucumbers came out really crunchy and flavorful.

      Reply
      • Jamie

        November 06, 2019 at 12:47 am

        Thank you Ashley! This is one of my favorite ways to have cucumbers. 🙂

        Reply
    19. Larissa

      June 17, 2019 at 7:37 am

      Hello, do you add the garlic chili sauce to the brine?

      Reply
      • Jamie

        June 17, 2019 at 10:21 am

        Hi Larissa! Leave out the cucumber salad dressing until right before serving. The brine and dressing are separate and shouldn't be combined. I hope that answers your question. Thanks!

        Reply
    20. Kristina

      June 06, 2019 at 12:22 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious and it was so easy to make! Saving this recipe to make this again!

      Reply

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