Cold and Crunchy Asian Cucumber Salad (2024)

FAQs

How to make cucumbers extra crunchy? ›

Just place the slices or chunks in a colander over a bowl or sink. Sprinkle them with a couple of pinches of salt, toss to coat, and let them rest for about 30 minutes. Pat them dry with a paper towel and proceed with the recipe.

Place cucumber slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt; set aside to drain for 1 hour. Whisk vinegar and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. Add sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds; stir. Rinse salt off cucumber slices by running under cold water; place in a large bowl with sliced red chile peppers.

No matter how you dress them, salting and draining sliced cucumbers maximizes crunchy texture.

First, unless you can find seedless cucumbers, you must eviscerate them. Cucumber seeds, slimy, springy and evasive, will ruin the texture of any salad, soup or dip. Then, you must salt them to draw out as much liquid as possible.

You'll be able to feel cucumber spoilage before you see it; if cucumber sits for too long, it loses its characteristic crispness and becomes soft to the touch. "Both moisture and moisture build-up can contribute to cucumber spoilage," says Roszkowski.

"When storing cucumbers, you want to prevent moisture loss while also preventing rot, which can be tricky," Trimble says. To do this, she advises giving cukes an airtight "second skin" by wrapping them in plastic or beeswax wrap to slow deterioration.

Japanese cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamins K, A, and C, folic acid, potassium, and silica, which is a trace mineral that helps strengthen connective tissue. Japanese cucumbers in pickled form are an essential component in Japanese cuisine.

The Japanese cucumber has several advantages over common cucumbers. It is slender, thin-skinned, void of developed seeds, never bitter and entirely edible. The average harvested length is about four inches, while the cucumber is still young. Its skin is forest green and smooth with longitudinal grooves.

Old cucumbers are developed from cucumbers that have been left on the vine to fully mature and somewhat harden. Many experts believe Old cucumbers are the mature form of the Chinese yellow cucumber. Today Old cucumbers are primarily localized to markets in Southeast Asia, China, and Korea.

Kirby cucumbers

These small, super-crunchy and mild cucumbers are usually six inches long or less and have bumpy skins and firm flesh.

Should I rinse cucumbers after salting? ›

' When we salt vegetables we're actually weakening the cell walls and therefore changing the integrity of the cucumber. Simply rinsing well with water will not add moisture back into the vegetable – so it's ok, rinse away!

About this method: To keep cucumbers extra crunchy, Epicurious touts this method: Wash them, thoroughly dry them, wrap them in a dish towel or paper towel, place them in an unsealed plastic bag to allow some airflow, and place them in the crisper drawer. (I used a thin, green grocery store produce bag for my tests.)

Minimizing excess moisture is also critical for extending the life of lettuce. That's why, whether you use a container or a bag for storage, a towel placed inside helps to absorb moisture and keep lettuce fresh and crisp for longer.

This salt treatment draws water out of the cucumbers and flavors them, so it's critically important. After layering or mixing in plenty of sea salt, I cover the salted cukes with ice cubes and a tea towel and forget about them for a few hours.

The best way to keep your pickles crisp is by taking an extra moment to remove the blossom from the end of the cucumber. By adding this extra cut, you have a crisper pickle. Other ways to ensure a crisp pickle is by adding grape leaves to your jar. I tend to cut off both ends of the cucumber as I quickly process them.

For a quick and easy way to help ensure crisp pickles: soak cucumbers in ice water for 4 to 5 hours before pickling. This is a safer method for making crisp pickles. Using lime, or calcium hydroxide, in solution for soaking cucumbers changes the amount of acid in the cucumber tissue.

About this method: To keep cucumbers extra crunchy, Epicurious touts this method: Wash them, thoroughly dry them, wrap them in a dish towel or paper towel, place them in an unsealed plastic bag to allow some airflow, and place them in the crisper drawer.