Published: · Modified: by Christie Lai
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Crisp cucumbers in a delicious tangy, savory, and sweet dressing with a hint of spice. This simple and easy Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad is such a great way to get in your vegetables! It's restaurant-quality and will save you money on takeout!
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- What is Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad?
- Expert Tips
- Instructions
- Storage
- Pairing Suggestions
- FAQ
- Other recipes you may enjoy
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
What is Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad?
Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad is one of the most popular side dishes served at Din Tai Fung, a famous Taiwanese restaurant chain.This chilled Asian cucumber salad features thick slices cucumbers dressed in garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, mirin, and chili oil.
The cucumber pieces are very crunchy because of the salting method which draws out excess moisture. This vegetable salad is one of their most signature dishes because of it's refreshing and complex taste profile.
This copycat Din Tai Fung cucumber salad is made of simple ingredients and is easy to make in little time! Perfect for a hot summer day when you don't feel like turning on the stove when you're craving Asian food.
Din Tai Fung is actually a dumpling house but they serve all sorts of tasty Taiwanese food. It has been given five Michelin star ratings and has become very popular in North America. I love dining at Din Tai Fung and I especially love their delicious soup dumplings or noodle dishes.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to recipe card for exact measurements:
- Mini Cucumbers aka Persian cucumbers: These types of cucumbers are miniature in size with thin skin and are crunchier than regular cucumbers. Or substitute with seedless cucumbers cut into 1 cm thick pieces, like English cucumbers which are long and slender. Avoid using Armenian cucumbers, Garden cucumbers, White cucumbers, or Kirby cucumbers.
- Salt: table salt, sea salt or kosher salt will work. The excess salt will help make crunchy cucumbers by drawing out the high water content out through osmosis. The longer you allow the sliced cucumbers to sit in the salt, the crunchier they will be. I recommend letting them sit for 20 minutes. But if you're crunched for time, 10-15 minutes is enough.
Dressing
- Minced Garlic: a key ingredient to this recipe! Do not skip on this!
- Regular soy sauce:or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Rice vinegar: or substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar but add to taste as the latter two tend to be a bit stronger in taste.
- Sesame oil: this offers a wonderful nutty taste to this chilled cucumber salad.
- Sugar: or substitute with honey. A sweetener helps to balanced out the salted cucumbers.
- Rice Mirin: a popular sweet rice cooking wine used in Japanese cuisine. It’s sweeter than cooking sake and has a very low alcoholic taste. You can find this at most Asian or Japanese grocers.
- Chili oil: I recommend using a Chinese chili oil to compliment the flavors in this Chinese Cucumber salad. However, if you don't have one, feel free to use any chili oil you have at home or that you can find at your local grocery store.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to source fresh cucumbers with tight dark green vibrant skin. Avoid cucumbers that have wrinkled skin or cucumbers that look like they're rotting at the ends or slightly translucent. The right cucumber is very important for this recipe since it's the star ingredient.
- Slice the cucumbers at the right thickness, ideally 1 cm. If you slice them too thin, they won't be as crunchy. If you slice them too thick, the dressing won't be able to penetrate through the cucumber.
- Salt the cucumbers for at least 20 minutes to draw out excess water which makes them extra crunchy. This also prevents excess water from diluting the salad dressing.
- Don't skip rinsing the cucumbers under cold water or they will be extremely salty with the dressing.
- Strain out as much excess water as possible after rinsing or the excess water will dilute the dressing.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to makeDin Tai Fung Cucumber Salad:
- Trim the ends off the cucumbers and slice the cucumber into 1-cm thick rounds. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Sprinkle salt on top of cucumber slices. Massage salt into cucumbers.
- Let cucumbers sit for 20 minutes in the salt to draw out excess water to make them crunchier.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine Dressing ingredients as listed.
- Rinse the cucumbers with running cold water to remove excess salt. Strain out as much excess water as possible.
- Pat cucumbers dry with clean paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.Transfer back into a large clean bowl.
- Pour dressing over cucumbers. Mix well. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 3-4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Note: with time the cucumbers will become saltier as it absorbs the dressing so it's best to enjoy this salad fresh.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing this cucumber salad as the cucumbers will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
Din Tai Fung cucumber salad serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, Shanghai fried noodles, or plain noodles
- cooked vegetables likebok choy,spicy garlic bok choy,choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, Mongolian Chicken, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
May I omit the sesame oil? I'm allergic.
Yes, but keep in mind sesame oil gives this dish a wonderful aroma and taste.I would suggest adding more chili oil as a substitute.
Can I make this not spicy?
Yes, feel free to remove the chili oil and reduce the amount to your liking to make this less or not spicy.
Can I make this in advance?
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. There is no reheating required.
Other recipes you may enjoy
- Korean Cucumber Salad
- Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
- Chinese Smacked Cucumber Salad
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad
Christie Lai
Crisp cucumbers in a delicious tangy, savory, and sweet dressing with a hint of spice. This simple and easy Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad is such a great way to get in your vegetables! It's restaurant-quality and will save you money on takeout!
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Resting Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4
Calories per serving 67 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb mini cucumbers sliced into 1 cm thick pieces
- 2 teaspoon salt to draw out excess moisture from cucumbers
Dressing:
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 tablespoon regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil toasted kind
- 2.5 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon mirin
- ½ tablespoon Chinese chili oil Chinese kind recommended or use any chili oil you enjoy
Instructions
Trim the ends off the cucumbers and slice the cucumber into 1-cm thick rounds. Transfer to a large bowl.
Sprinkle salt on top of cucumber slices. Massage salt into cucumbers.
Let cucumbers sit for 20 minutes in the salt to draw out excess water to make them crunchier.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine Dressing ingredients as listed.
Rinse the cucumbers with running cold water to remove excess salt. Strain out as much excess water as possible.
Pat cucumbers dry with clean paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.Transfer back into a large clean bowl.
Pour dressing over cucumbers. Mix well. Enjoy!
Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
Suggested Equipment & Products
Nutrition
Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1559mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 82IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.5mg
More Easy Simple Appetizers & Side Dishes
- Spicy Garlic Bok Choy
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- Spicy Gochujang Sesame Tofu
- Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancake)
Reader Interactions
Comments
Mary Harward
Have made this before for myself and it was delicious! Taking as my Thanksgiving side this year :).Reply
christieathome
Thank you so much for making it multiple times, Mary! I hope your guests will enjoy it for Thanksgiving 🙂
Reply
J NEPTUNEDAUGHTER-IN-LAW
YES, I LIKE VERY MUCH!Reply
christieathome
Thanks for making it! Glad you liked it!
Reply
Liz
My family and I loved it!Reply
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Liz! I am so thrilled to hear that your family loved it 🙂
Reply
Danielle K
Just made this, tastes great! Can't wait to try it later today after the flavors have had a chance to absorb. I used chili garlic sauce which is thicker than a chili oil but it's delicious! I doubled the recipe for the marinade since I had so many cucumbers.Reply
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Danielle! So happy to hear that it worked out well with the chili garlic sauce. Have a lovely day!
Reply
