Spicy Cucumber Salad (Din Tai Fung Copycat)
This spicy cucumber salad recreates the addictive crunch and flavor of Din Tai Fung's famous side dish right in your own kitchen. I discovered that pre-salting the cucumbers keeps them perfectly crisp while they soak up the delicious garlic-chili dressing. Now I never have to overpay for cucumber salad again!
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin-skinned cucumbers like Persian or hot house
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves sliced as thinly as possible
- 1 teaspoon chili oil or oil from chili crunch
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce/shoyu or tamari or coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar plus more to taste or other sweetener
- 2-4 Tablespoons warm water
- optional garnish: sliced red Fresno pepper or red jalapeño pepper
- optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice cucumbers crosswise into ¾-inch wide discs.
- Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander, toss with salt, and let sit in the sink for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours to sweat out the cucumbers.
- Prepare the Spicy Sauce. Combine sliced garlic, chili oil, and sesame oil in a small bowl. With a spoon, rub the garlic into the oil against the sides of the bowl to release more flavor.
- Add the tamari (or soy sauce), rice vinegar, sugar, and 2 Tablespoons warm water and stir until sugar dissolves. Taste for saltiness and sweetness. It will be stronger than when consumed with the cucumbers.
- Rinse the cucumbers and pat them dry as possible with a paper towel.
- Toss cucumbers with the sauce in a bowl. Transfer dressed cucumbers to a shallow serving bowl or any plate that has a rim. You can stack the cucumbers like the restaurant chain does.
- Pour the sauce over the cucumbers. You can leave the garlic slices with the sauce, or remove them.
- Garnish the cucumbers with a slice of garlic and Fresno pepper if using and optional sprinkle of sesame seeds. Enjoy right away.
Notes
- Persian cucumbers really are best for this salad – their skin is thinner and they naturally have less water. English cucumbers are my second choice. If you're stuck with regular cucumbers, just salt them a bit longer to get more moisture out.
- Don't rush the pre-salting step if you want truly crunchy cucumbers. This is what keeps them crisp even after they're dressed. And definitely rinse off that salt afterward or your salad will be way too salty!
- The dressing should taste quite strong by itself – trust me on this! The cucumbers will dilute it once mixed.
- I've found that letting everything mingle for about 15-30 minutes before serving actually makes it taste better, similar to how traditional Sichuan cucumber dishes develop more complex flavor as they rest.
- For an extra crunch, add sesame seeds, green onions, and red chile flakes on top.