Thai Cucumber Salad
This Thai Cucumber Salad is a refreshing salad made with crispy cucumbers, red onion, crushed peanuts, dried chilis, fresh mint and cilantro marinated in a sweet, tangy dressing.
This post is sponsored by Pure Flavor, all opinions are my own.
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This light and refreshing Thai Cucumber Salad is the perfect compliment to any Thai dinner. It’s a refreshing starter course or side salad. I mentioned that by the end of this Thai Cooking At Home series you would have all the recipes you need to throw an Epic Thai Dinner Party and this Thai Cucumber Salad works perfectly as the salad course!
What goes into Thai Cucumber Salad?
Thai Cucumber Salad is made with just a few fresh ingredients:
Cucumbers – I like to use Pure Flavor Mini Cucumbers, mini cucumbers work well for this salad and I find these particular cucumbers to be very fresh and crispy, which is important since we leave the salad to marinate.
Red Onion – Very thinly sliced red onion adds a little sweetness, extra crunch and a lot of flavor to the salad.
Peanuts – Crushed, roasted, salted peanuts bring a contrasting flavor to the salad, the salt from the peanuts adds seasoning and the peanuts add additional texture.
Dried Thai Chilis – Crushed red Thai chilis add a little kick of spice that elevates the dish, I love how the spice of the Thai chilis pairs with the peanut flavor.
Fresh Mint and Cilantro – The mint really stands out in this dish and the cilantro helps compliment the other flavors, they are key ingredients in making the dish feel complete.
Dressing – The dressing or marinade is made with rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice and sweetened with sugar. It’s a sweet and tangy marinade that absorbs into all of the elements of the salad and gives it a deliciously refreshing, slightly pickled taste.
How do you make Thai Cucumber Salad?
Thai Cucumber Salad is so simple to make, it’s definitely the simplest of all the Thai recipes I have shared and will share in this series. No cooking is involved and all of the ingredients are pretty easy to find. To make the salad, start by slicing the cucumbers and then tossing them with the thinly sliced red onion, crushed peanuts, crushed dried chilis and fresh chopped herbs. Next whisk together the marinade, pour the marinade over the salad and toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate the salad and allow it to marinate for at least 4 and up to 24 hours. When you are ready to serve the salad, serve it cold and garnish it with black sesame seeds, more peanuts and fresh herbs.
Tips to Keep in Mind:
- Use a mandoline to slice the cucumbers thin and evenly, if you don’t have one, use a sharp knife and carefully slice them as thin as you can.
- Make sure your herbs are fresh, since the salad is marinated for a few hours before eating, you want to make sure the herbs are fresh to begin with.
- For best results, garnish the salad with black sesame seed and more peanuts and fresh herbs.
- Don’t forget it needs time to marinate before eating, so if you are making this salad for a party or event, you can easily make it the night before.
Thai Cucumber Salad
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Description
This Thai Cucumber Salad is a refreshing salad made with crispy cucumbers, red onion, crushed peanuts, dried chilis, fresh mint and cilantro marinated in a sweet, tangy dressing.
Ingredients
Cucumber Salad
1 pound Pure Flavor Mini Cucumbers
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 dried Thai red chilis, crushed
2 tbsp crushed salted roasted peanuts
Dressing
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp white sugar
Garnish
Black sesame seeds
Crushed peanuts
Fresh cilantro
Fresh mint
Instructions
Cucumber Salad
Use a mandoline* to thinly slice the cucumbers
Add the sliced cucumber to a large bowl
Add the red onion, cilantro, mint, peanuts and red chilis, toss
Dressing
Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl
Whisk until the sugar dissolves
Pour the dressing over the cucumber salad
Allow to marinate at least 4 and up to 24 hours
Garnish
Serve salad cold with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds, peanuts, cilantro and mint
Notes
*If you don’t have a mandoline, slice them as thinly and evenly as you can with a sharp knife
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: salad
- Cuisine: Thai
Keywords: #thaicucumbersalad, #cucumbersalad, #thaicookingathome, #thaisalads, #thaicooking
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If you make this Thai Cucumber Salad let me know how you like it! Leave a star rating and comment here! If you snap a photo, I’d love to see it – share it over on Instagram and tag me @sprinklesandseasalt!
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