This Korean cucumber salad recipe is delicious both when freshly made or fermented. It slightly ferments after a few days. I like when this cucumber salad is fermented after staying in the fridge for a week.
It might not be a real Korean salad, it’s more like a Russian-Korean salad. There are many Korean people WHO LIVE in Central Asia. They make their unique salads using local ingredients, and not all of these recipes are similar to true Korean dishes. So, let’s call this salad a Russian-Korean cucumber salad.
Korean Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
- Fresh cucumbers – 500 gr
- Garlic – 4-5 cloves
- 1/2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame oil or 2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
- Naturally-fermented non-GMO Soy sauce – 1 Tbsp
- 1/2 Tbsp Korean red pepper flakes or 1 Fresh chili pepper
- Balsamic vinegar – 1 Tsp
- Sea salt – 2 tsp
- Avocado oil – 1 Tbsp
How to make cucumber salad:
- Wash and cut the cucumbers lengthwise, then chop to make 5 cm pieces.
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt over chopped cucumbers and mix. Cover and let stay on the counter for about 30 minutes or more, until cucumber releases juice. Discard the juice.
- Add balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and soy sauce to cucumbers, and mix well.
- Press garlic over cucumbers, in the middle of the bowl. Do not mix yet.
- Heat avocado oil over medium-high heat.
- Add sesame seeds to hot oil, if using. When sesame seeds start getting plump and aromatic, add pepper flakes or chopped chili pepper rings (without seeds) and stir for about 10-15 seconds. Remove the hot oil from heat and immediately pour over pressed garlic. Mix.
- Add toasted sesame oil and mix again. Check the taste, and add some salt if you feel you need to.
- Put in a glass jar or bowl and cover. Keep in the fridge.
- You can consume this cucumber salad after 2 hours or after a few days if you like the fermented (pickled) taste. I like mine fermented and I kept mine for a week int the fridge before consuming.
Check out other salad recipes too:
Korean-Russian Carrot Salad – “Morkovcha” (Healthier Version)
