Din Tai Fung Cucumber Recipe
Din Tai Fung's world-famous restaurant serves up cucumber dishes that are full of flavor and easy to make at home. This Din Tai Fung cucumber recipe is a must-try!
Equipment
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 4-5 pcs. cucumbers preferably English or Persian, thinly sliced
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup red wine vinegar substitute to rice vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt preferably Kushner salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper fresh
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- ¼ cup sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. ginger fresh and finely chopped, optional
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Slice English or Persian cucumbers evenly, and roughly the same size.
- Put them in a bowl and add salt to get rid of excess moisture and water.
- Approximately 30 minutes later, take the cucumbers out, rinse them, and let them dry.
- In another bowl, combine sesame oil, sugar, black pepper, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and minced garlic.
- Optional — Add chopped ginger.
- Add the dried cucumbers to the bowl, and mix with dressing.
- Marinate overnight, or 2-3 hours if you are short on time.
Video
Notes
- The cucumber — When it comes to picking the right cucumber, you might want to go with seedless and thin-skinned ones, as the original recipe leaves the skin on. We also strongly recommend using fresh cucumbers, which brings us to two definite choices — Persian and English cucumbers. Although these two differ slightly, they are similar enough that they could be used interchangeably, which provides some flexibility. On another note, although we will mention this later, cucumbers are watery, and that’s a major flag that needs to be addressed when preparing Din Tai Fung cucumber salad. Luckily, Persian and English cucumbers are notoriously less watery compared to their counterparts. First, slice the cucumbers carefully, and make sure that they all end up roughly the same size, for aesthetic purposes. Place them in a bowl, and mix them with salt. The salt will rid the cucumbers of excess water and moisture, making them crispier. Approximately half an hour will be enough, before proceeding to rinse the cucumbers. Now, it’s time for the marinade.
- The marinade — Although the Din Tai Fung cucumber recipe is based on cucumbers, it’s the seasoning that separates it from your regular salad. Using rice vinegar will help make your cucumbers less watery and crispy. However, if you don’t have rice vinegar, you can opt for red wine or distilled white wine vinegar, which will give you similar results. In a different bowl, combine sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ¼ cup sugar, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 1 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger (if possible). Although the latter is rare in Din Tai Fung cucumber salad recipes, it is a secret ingredient of ours. We encourage you to try it. Your cucumbers should be all dried now. Add them to the bowl, and mix with dressing. We recommend marinating overnight, but you can also marinate for 2-3 hours if you are short on time.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Din Tai Fung Cucumber Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
188
% Daily Value*
Fat
14
g
22
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
6
g
Monounsaturated Fat
5
g
Sodium
688
mg
30
%
Potassium
47
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
14
g
5
%
Fiber
0.2
g
1
%
Sugar
13
g
14
%
Protein
1
g
2
%
Vitamin A
3
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
10
mg
1
%
Iron
0.3
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!