Quick & Easy Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad

This is the best din tai fung cucumber salad recipe. This copycat asian cucumber salad is so quick and easy to make and has the most delicious flavour. It is the perfect refreshing side dish.

Table of Contents

• Why you will love this recipe:
• Ingredients and substitutions:
• How to make (step-by-step):
• Top Tips:
• Recipe variations and add ins:
• How to store:
• Frequently asked questions:
• Other recipes you will love:
• Recipe

Why you will love this recipe:

• This asian cucumber salad is quick and easy to make and only requires a few minutes of hands on time. 
• It has the most amazing flavour and texture! It's a little sweet, a little spicy, and is so nice and crunchy.
• Because this salad is so light and refreshing it's perfect for spring and summer and is also great for picnics, bbq's, tailgates and camping.
• This din tai fung cucumber salad copycat recipe tastes just as good as going to the restaurant but it's so much cheaper to make it yourself.
• This healthy salad is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, paleo, low in sugar, refined sugar free and vegetarian.

Ingredients and substitutions:

• Cucumbers - you can use any type of fresh cucumbers that you like to make this salad including Long English Cucumbers, regular cucumbers, baby cucumbers, mini cucumbers or Persian cucumbers. 
• Salt - salt is used to brine the cucumbers to give them the perfect crunchy texture and crisp texture. You can use any type of salt you like including sea salt or kosher salt.
• Rice vinegar - rice vinegar helps give this crunchy cucumber salad the perfect flavour. If you don't have rice vinegar or can't find it at the grocery store you can use apple cider vinegar instead. For a different flavour you could also use red wine vinegar.
• Oil - you can use either avocado oil or olive oil to make the dressing for this salad.
• Chili oil - Chili oil gives this salad such a unique flavour. You can get chili oil at asian specialty stores or specialty olive oil stores. You can also order chili oil online. You can change the amount of chili oil that you use depending on how spicy or mild you want this salad to be.
• Fresh garlic - fresh, minced garlic adds even more flavour and savoury taste to this salad. You can add more or less, depending on how much you love garlic.
• Sweetener - you can use any type of liquid sweetener that you like to make the dressing for this salad. My favourites are honey or maple syrup but you can use agave syrup or date syrup too.
• Chili flakes or red pepper flakes - these give the dressing a little bit of heat. You can add more or less depending on how spicy you like your cucumber salads. You can usually find these in the asian section at grocery stores.

How to make (step-by-step):

Step one:

First, in a large bowl mix together the sliced cucumbers and salt. Place the bowl of salted cucumbers in the fridge and let the cucumbers brine for 30 - 45 minutes. 

Step two:

While the cucumbers are brining, make the dressing by placing all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl or jar and mixing well until you have a smooth dressing. 

Step three:

After the cucumbers have finished brining, give them a quick rinse with cold water two times to remove the excess salt. Taste the cucumbers and rinse one more time if they are too salty. I like rinsing them in a colander or large strainer to help remove any excess water.

Step four:

Lastly, toss the rinsed cucumbers with the delicious dressing and serve and enjoy!

Recipe variations and add ins:

• You can add more or less garlic depending on how much you like the taste of garlic.
• If you like a sweet cucumber salad add 1-2 more tablespoons of sweetener.
• If you don't like any spicy flavour omit the chili flakes from the recipe.
• For a different flavour you can use sesame oil to make the dressing instead of olive oil or avocado oil.
• If you want a spicier cucumber salad add more chili flakes to the dressing.
• To give this salad even more crunch top it with sesame seeds. 
• Feel free to add some chopped green onion to the dressing for even more flavour.
• If you are serving a crowd feel free to double or triple this recipe.

How to store:

Store this salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. It is best served within 24 hours.

I do not recommend trying to freeze this cucumber salad because the cucumbers get very soft and mushy when they thaw.

Frequently asked questions:

Other recipes you will love:

• Asian coleslaw
• Italian grinder salad
• Asian stir fry vegetables
• Healthy egg roll in a bowl
• One pan tuna fried rice
• Easy broccoli salad

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