Sesame Cucumber Salad
A hearty Chinese side built around cucumber, basil leaves and red chilli flakes — roughly 40 minutes start to finish, and rated easy to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 4 steps.
At easy difficulty across 4 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, the ingredients are plant-based.
What you'll need
Shopping list (4)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Prep the cucumbers:
- Peel the cucumbers. Cut them into quarters, lengthwise. (If the seeds are bitter, scrape out the seeds and discard.) Cut the cucumbers again, crosswise, into 1/2-inch thick pieces.
- Toss the salad:
- Place cucumbers into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Toss with sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, basil (if using), and chili flakes. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if using.
Watch how it's made
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Ingredient substitutions
- Rice Vinegar
- apple cider vinegar · white wine vinegar
What to serve with Sesame Cucumber Salad
- Kung Pao Chicken Chicken
- Kung Po Prawns Seafood
- Ma Po Tofu Beef
- Wontons Pork
Tips & common questions
How long does Sesame Cucumber Salad take to make?
About 40 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 4 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of rice vinegar?
Try apple cider vinegar. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Sesame Cucumber Salad vegan?
Based on its ingredients, this recipe contains no meat, fish, dairy or egg, so it looks vegan-friendly. Always double-check labels on packaged items.
Related recipes
Recipe data for Sesame Cucumber Salad via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.