Easy Cucumber Carrot Salad with Sesame Asian Dressing

A bowl of cucumber carrot salad topped with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds.

Easy Cucumber Carrot Salad with Sesame Asian Dressing

This easy cucumber carrot salad is the perfect side dish for any Asian flavored meal! It's lean with a carrot and cucumber base and an umami zesty dressing made from rice vinegar, tamari (or soy sauce), maple syrup, fresh garlic, shallot and sesame oil and then topped with fresh cilantro and sesame seeds. It all comes together in 20 minutes and the dressing is made in the same bowl as the salad to minimize dishes.

Course Salad

Cuisine American, Japanese, Korean

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Halal, Hindu, Kosher, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 95kcal

Author Christy Gurin

Equipment

1 Cutting board
1 Knife
1 Julienne Peeler or just use a knife
1 Measuring cups and spoons set
1 Medium Serving Bowl

Ingredients

1 large English cucumber about 2 cups sliced
½ teaspoon salt
4 carrots peeled, about 2 cups sliced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 ½ teaspoons sesame seeds
Optional: Gochugaru as garnish

Dressing

2 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1 Tablespoon maple syrup or honey or sugar
1 Tablespoon minced shallot do not do more or it will overpower the dressing
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon sesame oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Use a knife or peeler to peel strips down the sides of the cucumber or drag the tines of a fork down each side. You can skip this but it helps the dressing soak in. Slice cucumbers into 1/8” thick rounds (less than half a centimeter).
1 large English cucumber
Toss the cucumber with ½ teaspoon salt and let sit in a colander in the sink while you prepare the rest of the salad.
½ teaspoon salt
Julienne the carrots into thin strips and then cut into 1” pieces (2.5cm). I prefer to use a julienne peeler since it’s easier.
4 carrots
Make the dressing by adding all dressing ingredients, except for the oil, into the salad serving bowl and whisking together. Pour the oil into the bowl while whisking to emulsify with the rest of the dressing.
2 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 2 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, 1 Tablespoon minced shallot, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
Add cucumber, carrot, cilantro, and sesame seeds to the bowl and toss together. Season with additional salt to taste if desire and toss again. Sprinkle Gochugaru on top for spice (optional) and serve. See notes for serving suggestions.
¼ cup chopped cilantro, 1 ½ teaspoons sesame seeds, Optional: Gochugaru as garnish

Notes

Gochugaru substitution - if you don't have this but want to add a little spice, you can add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of sambal oelek or sriracha to the dressing.
You can eat the salad right away or it's even better after it's had a chance to let the ingredients settle for at least 10-15 minutes. It's even better if you make it an hour or two in advance and pop it into the refrigerator during that time. If you do this, just before serving remove the salad and toss one more time.

Nutrition