5-minute healthy cucumber salad is the Indonesian-inspired side that delivers heat, sweetness, and zest to your table in minutes.
Side dishes shouldn’t alone on the east side, lonely, waiting for a customer. Their role is to support the main event. Through bold flavors, different textures, stand-out colors, a side dish is every bit as important as the center.
For this reason, I’ve been exploring ways to enjoy enticing sides that are more than just ‘eat your peas’ bowls,' but are memorable in their own right.
This cucumber salad is designed to replace a more-traditional green salad. You only need one veggie. That would, of course, be the cucumber.
Cucumbers are healthy for you and are filled with phytonutrients. They are also unsurprisingly low in calories with zero fat.
Although the seeds and peels are the most nutrient-dense, we find the cucumber seeds a bit difficult to digest. For this reason, I usually take approximately 1 minute to remove the seeds.
To do this, cut the cucumber lengthwise, and run a small spoon straight down the middle of your ‘cuke.' My teaspoon measuring spoon works quite well for this because it is less spoony and more scoop.
You don’t need to remove the seeds, so skip this part and save a few minutes. Cut the cucumber into half-moons or into cubes. Don’t make them too big. This helps the dressing absorb into the cucumber.
Our top secret dressing
Kidding. There are three flavor combinations, spicy hot, zesty, and sweet.
1 Spicy hot. Hands down, my preferred chili sauce is Sambal Oelek.(zam-bahl U-lek). Sambal is a Southeast Asian sauce made from red chili peppers, salt, and vinegar. Now that it’s more widely distributed, you’ll discover some brans with lemon or lime juice, garlic, or sugar.
Look for Sambal Oelek in larger supermarkets or Asian markets. Be sure to check the label that the one you choose doesn’t contain added oil or other ingredients you want to avoid.
2. Sweet. My preference for this dressing is agave syrup. The agave plant, grown in Mexico and South Africa, has a naturally occurring, vegan sweetener, agave syrup (or agave nectar). Agave is a bit thinner than honey and packs a powerfully sweet flavor, so you don’t need much.
Date paste or even a dash of maple syrup will substitute if you don’t have agave syrup. The idea is to temper the spiciness of the Sambal Oelek.
3. Tangy. A quarter cup of lime juice ties up the heat and sweet. If you use lime juice, you may need a dash more of agave syrup. You’ll want to test it.
Despite the heat warning that should already be placed on the dressing, we add a sliced red chili. Perhaps we are spice gluttons, or I need to be encouraged to drink more water, or most likely, it makes the bowl a bit more colorful. Add 3-4 scallions (green onions) and call it a side dish.
Yes. A little time in the bowl allows the cucumber to marinate. This amplifies the bold flavor. It is also delicious a day after if you happen to have leftovers.
Although we love this salad with just cucumber, red chili, and scallions, you can add shredded carrots, cabbage, or kale to create a spicy slaw. Chopped cilantro adds a nice flavor as well.
Our spicy cucumber salad goes well with Indian-inspired dishes. Here are a few of our favorites:
Sweet potato dal
Kidney bean curry
Crispy tofu with Indian curry sauce
Spinach and potato patties
Final Thoughts
The idea of a 5-minute salad may not be inspiring on its face. But try a forkful of this healthy, spicy cucumber salad, and it could well change your mind. At the least, it’s gonna wake you up! Peace.
Print5-minute healthy cucumber salad
5-minute healthy cucumber salad is the Indonesian-inspired side that delivers heat, sweetness, and zest to your table in minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: On the Side
- Cuisine: Indonesian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, and sliced into half-moons. (Remove the seeds if desired, but don't peel)
- 1 red chili, thinly sliced
- 3 -4 scallions (green onions), thinly slice the white parts
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1-2 tsp. sambal oelek (or another chili paste)
- 2 tsp. agave syrup or another liquid sweetener
Instructions
- In a smaller salad bowl, combine the cucumber, red chili, and scallions.
- In a small bowl or jar, combine the chili paste, lime juice, and agave syrup.
- Add the dressing to the cucumber and mix well.
- Serve immediately or cover it and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Be sure to mix it right before serving.
Notes
- Sambal Oelek is a chili paste made with red chilis, salt, and usually vinegar. Look for this in bigger supermarkets or Asian markets. You can substitute another chili paste such as sriracha. This will have more of a garlic flavor than the sambal.
- This salad can be made ahead of time, then covered and kept in the refrigerator. This will allow the flavors to combine.
Keywords: healthy cucumber salad
Love quick salad ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy! This is one of our favorites. I'm always up for quick and easy.