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Home » Side Dishes » Asian Cucumber and Radish Salad

Asian Cucumber and Radish Salad

Published: Aug 7, 2023 by Genevieve Morrison · This post may contain affiliate links

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This 6 ingredient Asian cucumber and radish salad is made with citrusy ponzu sauce and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to add a little spiciness. It’s an easy,  refreshing, beautiful side dish that takes just 10 minutes to make!

A bowl of ponzu cucumbers and radishes in a bowl beside flowers.
Contents hide
1 The Simple Process
2 Ingredient Notes
3 How to Make This Salad – Step by Step
4 A Few Notes
5 More Side Dish Inspiration

Asian Cucumber and Radish Salad

Japanese ponzu sauce is a citrus soy or tamari sauce that also includes rice vinegar, kombo (kelp), mirin, bonito extract, and sugar. It tastes like a citrusy, salty, lightly sweet soy sauce. You can find ponzu specifically infused with Yuzu or multi-citrus blends.

This cucumber radish salad is seasoned only with ponzu, sesame oil, and a few spicy pepper flakes. It needs no more bells or whistles. Ponzu is such a bright and exciting flavor that with only 6 ingredients, this salad positively shines!

I made this salad for a summer barbecue where I wanted to combine flavors from around the world that worked perfectly together. This recipe was such a hit! For a more traditional dinner, I would suggest serving this salad with seared baby bok choy or sushi!

Cucumbers, radishes and onion with ponzu sauce in a mixing bowl.

The Simple Process

  • First, we’ll thinly slice the radishes.
  • Next, we’ll slice the cucumbers about ⅔-inch thick.
  • Then, we’ll thinly slice red onion.
  • Finally, we’ll stir everything together with Ponzu and sesame sauce, then sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Ingredient Notes

6 ingredients on a table with labels describing what they are.

greenhouse cucumber – Also known as English cucumber, they’re thinner, a little bit sweeter, and less bitter than American varieties of cucumber. This is a traditionally used cucumber for asian cucumber salads, but you can substitute with American cucumbers if you can’t find greenhouse cucumbers.

ponzu sauce – A citrus soy sauce. There are a few different kinds of ponzu sauces, but I prefer the yuzu ponzu for this recipe. Yuzu are the citrus fruits you often see floating around capybaras in hot springs. Although yuzu looks like a lemon, it’s actually closer in flavor to grapefruit.

radish – I used red radishes for this recipe but feel free to substitute with daikon radish.

red onion – I love thinly sliced red onion for this recipe, but thinly sliced pearl onions would look very pretty and taste just as nice.

crushed red pepper – If you’re not looking to spice up this recipe, feel free to omit the red pepper flakes, and perhaps substitute with sesame seeds for a little extra excitment.

How to Make This Salad – Step by Step

A collage of 4 numbered images showing how to prep ingredients.

1. Thinly slice 5 red radishes.

2. Slice 2 greenhouse cucumbers about ⅔-inch thick and slice them in half so that they’re nice, bite-size pieces.

3. Very thinly slice 2 tbsp. of red onion.

4. Gently stir radishes, cucumbers, and onion in a mixing bowl with 4 tbsp. ponzu sauce and 1 tbsp. sesame oil. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes. Serve or refrigerate and allow the cucumbers and radishes to marinate for an hour before serving.

A Few Notes

This salad will stay fresh for up to 5 days in a refrigerated, sealed container. 

Although the salad can truly be made and served within only 10 minutes, I suggest making it about an hour before serving (or up to a day ahead!) so that the cucumbers and radishes can marinate in the ponzu. 

A bowl of ponzu cucumbers and radishes in a bowl.

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More Side Dish Inspiration

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  • A plate of Swiss chard on a lace table cloth.
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A bowl of ponzu cucumbers and radishes in a bowl.

Asian Cucumber and Radish Salad

This 6 ingredient Asian cucumber and radish salad is made with citrusy ponzu sauce and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to add a little spiciness.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Japanese
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 43kcal
Author: Genevieve Morrison

Equipment

  • 1 cutting board and knife
  • 1 mixing bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 greenhouse cucumbers – sliced ⅔-inch thick
  • 5 red radishes – thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp. red onion – thinly sliced
  • 4 tbsp. ponzu sauce
  • 1 tbsp. sesame oil
  • ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Gently stir 5 sliced radishes, 2 sliced greenouse cucumbers and 2 tbsp. thinly sliced red onion in a mixing bowl with 4 tbsp. ponzu sauce and 1 tbsp. sesame oil. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes. Serve or refrigerate and allow the cucumbers and radishes to marinate for an hour before serving.

Notes

This salad will stay fresh for up to 5 days in a refrigerated, sealed container.
Although the salad can truly be made and served within only 10 minutes, I suggest making it about an hour before serving (or up to a day ahead!) so that the cucumbers and radishes can marinate in the ponzu.
See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.
Nutrition information is an estimate.

Nutrition

Serving: 2ounces | Calories: 43kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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