Thai Cucumber Salad Recipe
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This Thai cucumber salad is a refreshing side dish, topped with crunchy peanuts for a delicious, crunchy, texture.
The cucumbers are crisp, and the dressing is a beautiful mixture of sweet, salty, and sour, that keeps you coming back for bite after delicious bite.
What Is Thai Cucumber Salad?
Thai cucumber salad, also known as “Yum Makhua” is a tangy and refreshing salad that you might see on many Thai restaurant menus. It is a crispy, tangy, and refreshing salad with simple ingredients and lots of robust flavors that complement a variety of Thai dishes.
What To Serve With Thai Cucumber Salad
- Chicken Breasts
- Pork Chops
- Thai Shrimp Wraps
- Coconut Rice
- Curry
- Pad Thai
- Thai Ramen Soup
How To Cut Cucumber For Thai Salad?
For the best results in this recipe, your cucumber should be thinly sliced. If you have one you can use a mandolin for uniformly sized pieces. If not, use a sharp knife and plenty of caution!
What Type Of Cucumbers Should I Use For This?
You can use any type of cucumbers for this recipe, but many people prefer English cucumbers for this recipe. English cucumbers are long and thin with smaller, and fewer seeds than other cucumbers. Their dark green skin is very thin, so most people don’t feel the need to peel them.
If you can’t find English cucumbers, Persian cucumbers are also an excellent choice. They also have very thin skin and very few if any seeds with a crisp texture and less water than some other cucumbers.
Can I Make This Ahead?
Yes, you can make this ahead of time, but not too far ahead. The ingredients need at least ten minutes to meld together. You don’t want to make it too far ahead of time because you want your cucumbers to be crispy, and crunchy, not soggy.
Thai Cucumber Salad Ingredients
Cucumbers – You can use regular cucumbers or English cucumbers. I used English cucumbers here.
Red onion – You can use yellow onion in a pinch. But red works better here.
Fresh cilantro leaves
Fresh mint leaves
Roasted peanuts – You can chop these or leave them whole.
Thai Cucumber Salad Dressing Ingredients
Rice vinegar – If you don’t have any, some white vinegar is the next best thing, though not quite as good.
Lime juice – Fresh squeezed is best, but bottled will work in a pinch.
Coconut aminos – Or soy sauce.
Honey – Or maple syrup.
Sesame oil – Make sure it’s newer. Sesame oil goes rancid very quickly, even when stored in the fridge. Most bottles will say “roasted sesame oil.”
Garlic clove – Pressed or minced.
Crushed red pepper flakes – Optional for some spice. But this small amount won’t really make the dressing all that spicy.
Salt – To taste
How To Make Thai Cucumber Salad
Prep the veggies and herbs.
In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add salt to taste if needed.
Pour the dressing over the cucumber mixture and toss gently to combine. Let the salad sit for at least 10 minutes in the fridge before serving.
Sprinkle the chopped roasted peanuts over the salad for added crunch and serve.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Freezing
Do not freeze.
More Cucumber Recipes
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Thai Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 large English cucumber (Thinly sliced – you can peel them if you prefer)
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ⅛ cup fresh cilantro leaves (chopped)
- ⅛ cup fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup roasted, salted peanuts (chopping is optional)
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp. lime juice
- 2 tbsp. coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp. honey (or maple syrup)
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 large garlic clove (pressed – or ¼ tsp. garlic granules or powder)
- ⅛ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional but very good and not overly spicy at all)
- salt to taste if needed
Instructions
- Prep the veggies and herbs.
- In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients.1 large English cucumber, ½ cup thinly sliced red onion, ⅛ cup fresh cilantro leaves, ⅛ cup fresh mint leaves, ¼ cup roasted, salted peanuts
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add salt to taste if needed.1 tbsp. rice vinegar, ½ tbsp. lime juice, 2 tbsp. coconut aminos, 1 tbsp. honey, 2 tsp. sesame oil, 1 large garlic clove, ⅛ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, salt
- Pour the dressing over the cucumber mixture and toss gently to combine. Let the salad sit for at least 10 minutes in the fridge before serving.
- Sprinkle the chopped roasted peanuts over the salad for added crunch and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
