This copycat Din Tai Fung cucumber salad is extremely easy to make and takes only 15 minutes! The cucumbers are crisp, tossed in a light dressing that's sweet, savory, and tangy, and topped with a drizzle of aromatic chili oil. It's the perfect accompaniment to some siu mai and Chinese sticky rice. Also, try our Chinese garlic green beans for another delicious DTF copycat recipe!
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Ingredients needed to make Din Tai Fun cucumber salad
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Persian cucumbers - DTF uses Persian cucumbers for their cucumber salad and we second that choice because these cucumbers are crisper and sweeter than other cucumber options.
- Salt - For salting the cucumbers.
- The salad dressing - The dressing is made of water, regular rice vinegar, sugar, msg, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil.
- Garlic - The garlic is thinly sliced and just marinated in the dressing to give it a subtle garlic flavor, which also adds another layer of depth.
- Red fresno pepper - This is mostly for garnish but it also adds just the slightest amount of kick to the dressing.
- Chinese chili oil - In our opinion, this is one of the most important ingredient that makes this cucumber salad tastes just like Din Tai Fung. All the flavor and aromatics infused in the oil really lends to the cucumber salad's overall flavor.
How to make cucumber salad just like Din Tai Fun
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
1. Cut the cucumbers. Trim and discard the ends of the cucumbers and cut the cucumbers into ¾ inch coins.
🌟 Pro tip: It is important that the cucumber coins are cut into the same thickness so that they can all be salted equally. It's especially important if you want to plate the cucumbers the same way as DTF.
2. Salt the cucumbers. Place them into a bowl and mix well with salt. Let the cucumbers salt for about 10 minutes, giving them a mix midway through.
3. Make the dressing. In a mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar, soy sauce, msg, and sesame oil. Mix until the sugar and msg has dissolved. Add the garlic slices and fresno pepper and give everything a mix. Let it marinate while the cucumbers are salting.
4. Rinse and dry. After salting, rinse the cucumbers a few times with fresh water to remove excess salt. Then place them on paper towels and pat them dry.
5. Toss and enjoy. Place the cucumbers into the prepared dressing and toss well. Serve the cucumber salad on a plate with a drizzle Chinese chili oil. Enjoy!
💡 DTF style plating: Transfer the cucumbers onto a plate assembled into a 3 tier pyramid. The bottom with 9 pieces of cucumbers, middle with 4, and finishing with 1 on top. Garnish the top of the pyramid with a slice of garlic and a piece of pepper. Drizzle the cucumbers with a little dressing and your desired amount of Chinese chili oil.
Storage
This cucumber salad is best enjoyed immediately. If you have leftovers, store it with the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
FAQ
No, the cucumbers do not need to be peeled. Persian cucumbers have fairly thin skin and is mild in flavor, so the skin will not affect the flavor.
Salting the cucumbers season them and help remove some moisture from the cucumbers, which keep the cucumbers crisp.
Although msg can be omitted, we highly recommend not skipping. It makes the dressing more savory and more flavorful. If you really want to avoid it, you can use an extra pinch of salt and sugar.
Although you can use any chili oil you have, we highly recommend making your own homemade Chinese chili oil for this recipe for the best flavor. DTF cucumber salad is very aromatic and flavorful not just because of the dressing but also because of their aromatic chili oil, which is exactly what our Chinese chili oil provides. Plus, it's super easy to make!
📖 Recipe
Din Tai Fun Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound Persian cucumbers washed
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar not the seasoned version
- 5 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon msg
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic thinly siced
- 1 red fresno pepper deseeded and cut into small diamonds (optional for garnish and a little heat)
- ½ teaspoon Chinese chili oil *see notes
Instructions
- Prepare the cucumbers:Trim and discard the ends of the cucumbers and cut the cucumbers into ¾ inch coins. Place them into a bowl and mix well with salt. Let the cucumbers salt for about 15 minutes, giving them a mix midway through.
- Make the dressing:In a mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar, soy sauce, msg, and sesame oil. Mix until the sugar and msg has dissolved. Add the garlic slices and fresno pepper and give everything a mix. Let it marinate while the cucumbers are salting.
- Rinse the cucumbers:After salting, rinse the cucumbers a few times with fresh water to remove excess salt. Then place them on paper towels and pat them dry.
- Marinate and enjoy:Place the cucumbers into the prepared dressing and toss well. Let them soak in the marinade for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cucumbers onto a plate assembled into a 3 tier pyramid. The bottom with 9 pieces of cucumbers, middle with 4, and finishing with 1 on top. Garnish the top of the pyramid with a slice of garlic and a piece of pepper. Drizzle a little more of the dressing over everything along with some Chinese chili oil. Enjoy!
Notes
- Chinese chili oil - although you can use any chili oil you prefer, we highly recommend making our homemade Chinese chili oil. It's mildly spicy and super fragrant, a very prominent flavor in Din Tai Fung's cucumber salad. So to truly replicate the recipe, this is a very important ingredient.
- Try to keep the cucumbers uniformed in size for both even seasoning and for DTF presentation.
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