Traditionally, Chinese cucumber salad is made by heating cucumbers in a spicy mixture of sesame oil, chili peppers, and Szechuan peppercorns. In this quick-and-easy recipe for cucumber salad, cucumbers are tossed in a red-wine vinegar and sesame oil dressing spiked with minced ginger and chili flakes.

If you find the sesame flavor in this recipe a little too strong, reduce it to 1 teaspoon.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds/5 pickling cucumbers
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light Chinese soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Steps to Make It

• Gather the ingredients.
• Wash the pickling cucumbers and pat dry. Cut the ends off and then cut them in half, then lengthwise into quarters, and then into strips about the width of French fries.
• Place the cucumber strips in a colander and sprinkle the salt over. Let the cucumbers sit for 30 minutes. Weighing down the cucumbers during salting helps them to release more water to keep them crisp and help prevent a watery dressing from collecting at the bottom of the bowl. Do this by filling two resealable plastic bags about three-fourths full with water and placing them on top of the cukes.
• After 30 minutes are up, remove the cucumbers from the colander and pat them dry to remove excess water.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the red wine vinegar, soy sauce, Asian sesame oil, brown sugar, fresh ginger root, and red pepper flakes.
• Lay out the cucumber strips in a dish and pour the dressing over. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the cucumbers for 4 hours or overnight. Serve the cucumber salad cold on its own or with a spicy Asian dish to help cool the palate. Enjoy!

Pickling Cucumbers vs. Salad Cucumbers

Pickling cucumbers are shorter and blockier, according to the Burpee Seed people, designed specifically for the pickle jar. They have thinner skins than the longer, leaner salad type, which allows the brine to penetrate down to the flesh.

Unlike smooth salad cukes, pickling cucumbers have bumpy skin, the trademark warty look of a classic dill pickle. Pickling varieties also will have fewer seeds and are lighter green.

Pickling cucumbers are usually not eaten out of hand, while a peeled salad cucumber often can be.