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Keep Cool with this Vegan Chinese Cucumber Salad Recipe

A cold, healthy dish for a hot summer day!
Picture of Sway Soturi

Sway Soturi

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chinese_cucumber

One of my favorite Chinese dishes (well, actually all dishes) is smashed cucumber salad. I make a similar dish with my new-found favorite: Romanian cucumbers, which have a thin skin and are extra crunchy and refreshing. The use of sesame oil and vinegar is great for the summer. Both also help with digestion. You can whip this up in no time and save it for about a week in the fridge – a win-win, I say!

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup cucumber (I prefer Romanian cucumber) 
  • 3 cloves garlic, smash and peeled 
  • 1⁄2 cup red onions, thinly sliced (optional) 
  • 1 cup sesame oil 
  • 1 cup black vinegar 
  • 1⁄2 tsp salt (adjust to taste) 
  • Black pepper, to taste 
  • Cilantro, chopped to top off the dish 

Directions 

  1. Slice cucumbers into thin pieces. 
  2. Place cucumber slices, garlic, and red onion in a tight tupperware. 
  3. Add sesame oil, black vinegar, salt, and pepper.
  4. Shake to your heart’s content.
  5. Sprinkle cilantro, and enjoy! 

Notes 

  • To pack more nutrients, I like to add thinly-sliced spinach.
  • This simple salad is really great refrigerated and served cold on a hot summer day! 
Picture of Sway Soturi

Sway Soturi

You can often find Sway playing in the kitchen, discovering new ways to use traditional ingredients to create healthy and scrumptious dishes (it’s messy business). Sway’s work and interests span from fine dining on white linens, to backpacking in the backcountries (yes, dehydrated foods, and catholes, and all). A certified personal trainer and functional exercise nutrition coach, she is dedicated to healing with movement and food. Sway incorporates her learnings from yoga, nature, and skills learned in the kitchen to fulfill her purpose - helping others achieve a continuous state of well-being and belonging. Hungry for more? Visit SoturiKitchen.com.

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