Cucumbers in Spicy Peanut Sauce

Fresh cucumbers are sliced and tossed in a quick and easy homemade nutty, salty, creamy, spicy, and garlicky sauce. Toasting the peanuts first and combining them with peanut butter, soy sauce, and rice vinegar makes a delicious cold side, salad, or snack. Serve at room temperature immediately after preparing for the best results!

Is it a side dish; is it a salad; or is it a snack? Well, it really doesn’t matter as long as it tastes great and you love it! Cucumbers in Spicy Peanut Sauce are crunchy and delicious with a nutty, salty flavour. Salting and draining the cucumber slices first gets rid of much of the water content in the cucumbers. That means your homemade spicy peanut sauce will stay thick and creamy and will not run the risk of getting watered down.

All of that excess moisture will also affect the texture of the toasted peanuts. I like to think that if I’m going to go through the trouble of toasting peanuts, then they had better stay fresh and retain that slight crunch afterwards! Also, I’m not sure about you, but I have noticed over the years that if I eat a cucumber with the skin on it, I will get heartburn. I used to remove all of it, but in this case, I left some of it on. The salad just looks better that way!

EARLY SPRING AND SUMMER RECIPES

When it comes to early spring and summer recipes, nothing beats these light and refreshing Cucumbers in Spicy Peanut Sauce. Well, actually, that’s a lie! Do you know what does beat it? A light and refreshing recipe with lots of flavour and lots of crunch that’s easy to prepare and also easy on the wallet. Wouldn’t you agree? Come to think of it, this recipe still takes the top spot because it checks off all of those points!

We are not the salad type. I don’t mean that we don’t like salads. I simply mean that we don’t eat them as often as we should. That just might change though, because I’ve been experimenting with summery salads that are free of lettuce and tomato. I love lettuce and tomato, but if they’re in every salad you eat, they become boring and bland quite fast. If you want a change from the everyday, boring salad, this one is for you!

THE BEST TYPE OF CUCUMBERS FOR SALADS

To be honest, you can use any type of cucumber you like the most. In this particular case, I’m using the pickling cucumbers that I grew in my garden this summer. It was my first time growing cucumbers and to be quite honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of eating the pickling cucumbers raw – even though they are totally fine that way! I’m not a huge cucumber lover, but John.e is, so I asked him. He thought that pickling cucumbers was fine, but the skin was thicker, which he didn’t care for.

So, if I had to make a recommendation, it would most certainly be English cucumbers here. These are sometimes known as hothouse cucumbers as well. English cucumbers are usually a little more expensive, but because there are so few ingredients in this salad, it would be wise to use the best. Unlike other generic cucumbers, English cucumbers are seedless, which means they will release much less water when sliced – this will keep your salad from getting too watery!

You will know English cucumbers by three criteria – they are a really deep green colour, the one end looks rather pinched instead of evenly rounded like the end of most cucumbers, and lastly, English cucumbers are almost always wrapped in plastic at the grocery store.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this Cucumbers in Spicy Peanut Sauce recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Cucumbers – You can use any cucumber that you prefer, although, as previously mentioned, I would recommend English cucumbers.
• Salt – Salting the prepared cucumbers will encourage the moisture out of them, leaving you with a seasoned, tastier cucumber.
• Soy Sauce – Use low-sodium soy sauce to keep the salt levels low.
• Rice Vinegar – You can also use champagne, cider or red wine vinegar.
• Peanut Butter – I have not tested this recipe with natural peanut butter. When cooking or baking with peanut butter I only ever use Kraft of Jiffy peanut butter. In this case you can use either smooth or crunchy.
• Honey – This adds sweetness and loosens up the peanut butter to help make it the right consistency, so don’t skip this.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic. Be sure to mince it really well.
• Dried Red Chili Flakes – You can omit these completely if you want to make a non-spicy version.
• Ground Black Pepper
• Peanuts – Be sure to toast them first to get the best results.
• Parsley – This adds colour and freshness.

HOW TO MAKE CUCUMBERS IN SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

Place the sliced cucumbers into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the salt and toss to coat. Transfer the cucumbers to a colander for one hour, allowing the excess water to drain.

In the meantime, measure the soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, honey, garlic, dried red chili flakes, and ground black pepper into a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Once the cucumbers have drained for one hour, transfer them to a bowl along with the peanuts, parsley, and sauce mixture. Toss well to coat. Serve immediately. If making ahead of time, cover well and refrigerate for no more than 8 hours. Bring to room temperature and toss well before serving because the peanut sauce may settle at the bottom of the bowl.

TOASTING PEANUTS

The first thing you should do it to toast your peanuts. How do you do that? It’s very simple! To be perfectly honest, this applies to any nuts or seeds, not just the nuts in this recipe. If you are not familiar with toasted nuts, then please try it just once. You will probably never revert to using nuts in your cooking or baking again without toasting them first!

I have tried using non-stick frying pans for toasting, but nothing works as well as a stainless steel pan. You could use a cast iron pan, but since they get very hot and retain heat so well, it’s easier to burn the nuts. See the frying pan in this picture? That’s the exact one that I use all the time. I’m not suggesting you run out and buy this same cookware set, but I want you to see the pan – remember, do not use non-stick if possible. You’ll get better results will plain stainless steel.

So, unlike most cooking where you’re required to preheat first, you don’t want to apply that same rule to toasting nuts. Add the nuts to a cold pan. Place the pan on the burner and turn the heat on – no higher than medium and probably even less if using a gas burner.

Keep the nuts moving about. I use a rubber spatula. Once you start to smell that warm and toasty aromatic smell, pay close attention. The nuts will take on a darker colour. Don’t let them get too dark. Once you’re satisfied, immediately remove them from the hot pan and transfer them to a dinner plate where they can be spread out to cool.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!