Korean Cucumber Slaw
When I put together the recipe for Korean Beef Bulgogi, I viewed images online, and many gorgeous photos were plated with brightly-colored slaw or vegetables. Something tangy and crunchy would offer textures and flavors that would bring this dish together.
Lots of photos showed sliced cucumbers, which add crunch and a touch of cooling the heat from the gochujang, but I was thinking something a bit more adventurous.
This slaw is filled with fresh vegetables and a flavorful dressing with a lot of pop to it! Feel free to adjust amounts of the dressing ingredients to adapt to your tastes. It’s a quite flexible recipe. But, Oh, so good!
Use “seasoned” rice vinegar, which is sweeter than regular rice vinegar. This adds the sweetness to this dressing, so you’re not adding some extra sugar… unless you want it much sweeter. Add some brown sugar, if desired.
You are using fresh vegetables, so get ready to do some chopping and slicing and grating. A sharp knife and cutting board are essential here. I use my microplane for grating the garlic and ginger.
Pickled ginger is AH-mazing! It can take over a dish, though, so be careful how much you add. I like the ¼ cup amount in this recipe, but feel free to adjust here.
Even if you don’t make the Korean Beef Bulgogi, this slaw would still be good for a crunchy, low-fat snack or lunch!
Enjoy!
Korean Cucumber Slaw
Ingredients
- 3 cups cucumbers, julienned
- 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 1/2 cup carrots, grated
- 1/4 cup pickled ginger, chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, not regular rice vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon gochujang, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic, grated on a zester
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger, grated on a zester
- 1/2 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small mixing bowl or a 2-cup glass measuring cup.
- Whisk all the ingredients together very well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Set aside while you make the slaw.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers, green onions, carrots, ginger, onion, and cabbage.
- Whisk the dressing again and slowly add about half to the vegetables. Toss everything together, taste and add more dressing if desired. I love to add it all, but some people may like a lighter slaw.
- Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
- Enjoy with Korean Beef Bulgogi.
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