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Cucumber, Sesame and Chilli Salad

3 years ago
by
Cucumber, Sesame and Chilli Salad is crisp, refreshing, and full of punchy flavour – crunchy cucumber slices tossed with toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, fresh chilli, and a pinch of sugar for balance. It’s the perfect side to rich or spicy dishes, adding brightness and a touch of heat. I love sprinkling over toasted sesame seeds and fresh herbs just before serving. Simple, quick, and packed with zing.
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More Healthy Salad Recipes

Yield: 2

Cucumber, Sesame and Chilli Salad

cucumber sesame chilli salad

My cucumber salad with sesame and chilli is my favourite kind of no-fuss side dish. Crisp cucumbers get tossed in a punchy dressing of sesame oil, vinegar, and chilli for a mix of cool, spicy, and tangy that always hits the spot. It’s the perfect refreshing companion to dumplings, grilled meats, or rice bowls, and comes together in minutes. I love how light and flavourful it is – ideal for warm days, lazy dinners, or anything that needs a bit of crunch.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large continental cucumber, diced and seeds removed
  • 2 1/2 tsp tamari or regular soy sauce
  • 2 tsp mirin
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tsp minced chilli

Instructions

  1. Mix together the tamari, mirin, sesame oil, chilli paste and sesame seeds.
  2. Toss through the diced cucumber, and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 74Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 865mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g

Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

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© Bry
Cuisine: Japanese / Category: Salad
cucumber sesame chilli salad

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Cucumber Salad with Sesame and Chilli

cucumber sesame chilli salad

Damn TikTok

Ugh, damn TikTok. I love it, I really do, but it’s also the biggest time thief in my life. I open it for five minutes and suddenly it’s an hour later, the washing’s still in the machine, and I’ve learnt seventeen new ways to cook a boiled egg. I don’t usually cook from TikTok though, despite saving every other recipe like I’ve got all the time in the world and a pantry full of obscure condiments. But this cucumber salad with sesame and chilli? It’s been everywhere. And the kicker? I’ve been making a version of it for decades.

I mean, it’s honestly one of my favourite comfort salads. It’s crunchy, a bit spicy, and so guilt-free you can practically feel your skin glowing as you eat it. I usually throw it together on weekends with a scoop of rice and some hot smoked salmon, especially if I’ve been a bit naughty during the week. And by naughty, I mean I’ve been skipping vegetables and pretending cheese is a food group. This salad is my delicious reset button, the kind of recipe that’s so easy and so satisfying, it makes you feel sorted.

That said, this might be the last salad I share for a while. The weather’s finally shifting here and as much as I love a crisp, fresh lunch, I am absolutely itching to dive into proper autumn cooking. I’ve got a half dozen pasta recipes just waiting to make their debut, and don’t even get me started on my salted caramel fudge. Brisbane’s heat means salad season lasts forever, but I’m over it. Bring on the carbs and cosy nights.

Comfort, Crunch, and a Clean Conscience

Comfort food doesn’t always need to be smothered in cheese and eaten on the couch under a blanket. Sometimes it’s just a dish that makes you feel good, inside and out. This cucumber salad with sesame and chilli is that kind of comfort food. It’s got crunch, it’s got kick, and it makes you feel like you’re taking care of yourself without even trying.

When I’m in reset mode (read: trying to undo a week of snacks and no movement), I serve it up with sushirice and hot smoked salmon. It’s one of those meals that feels like you’ve got your life together, even if the laundry pile is about to start talking. And it comes together in less time than it takes to find something to watch on Netflix. That’s a win.

The best part? It’s flexible. Add some edamame for protein. Toss it with rice noodles. Use it as the base for a poke bowl. It’s endlessly zhushable and works with whatever you’ve got in the fridge. Plus, it’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and you won’t feel like you need a nap afterwards. What more could you want?

Ingredients Breakdown

Alright, let’s break it down. I use a large continental cucumber, diced and de-seeded for max crunch and freshness. Tamari or regular soy sauce gives that salty base, while mirin adds a gentle sweetness and depth. You don’t need much to make a big impact, which is part of what I love about this dish.

Sesame oil is non-negotiable. It brings that gorgeous toasty flavour that wraps around everything else and makes it sing. The sesame seeds add a bit of texture and crunch, and the minced chilli gives it a cheeky little kick. It’s not blow-your-head-off spicy, just enough to wake everything up.

All of these ingredients are the kind of things I’ve already got in my cupboard or fridge. Nothing fancy or hard to find, just good flavour doing what it does best. This salad is low effort, big reward, and exactly the kind of thing I’ll keep making long after the TikTok trend fades away.

cucumber sesame chilli salad
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Bry is the food writer and recipe developer behind Cooking with Bry, a recipe platform built on nearly thirty years of cooking experience and over 215 original recipes spanning classic Australian, British, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. She grew up in Western Sydney, where food was never just food. It was Aussie barbecues in the backyard, Middle Eastern bakeries down the road, and Mediterranean kitchens that treated every meal like an occasion. That early, immersive exposure to bold and diverse flavours shaped her palate and her cooking instincts in ways that underpin every recipe she develops today. She spent seven years living in the UK across London and Glasgow, deepening her understanding of British comfort food and traditional European cooking before returning to Australia via Adelaide, the country's undisputed foodie capital, where a passion for exceptional produce and honest, ingredient-led cooking only grew stronger. She's now based in Brisbane, developing and testing all of her recipes from her home kitchen. All of that, Western Sydney, the UK, Adelaide, Brisbane, and everywhere in between, feeds directly into what she cooks and how she writes about it. Her recipes pull from the traditions she knows most deeply, the food that feels like home, and are developed with the home cook firmly in mind. Honest, unfussy, and built around flavours that actually work.
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