The sauce comes together in one bowl: peanut butter whisked with soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili crisp, honey and grated garlic.
Warm water goes in a tablespoon at a time until it turns glossy and pourable but still thick enough to cling to the cucumber. Nothing is cooked at any point.
How the Sauce Is Balanced
Five axes, all in one bowl.
- Rich1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- The body of the sauce.
- Salty2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- Seasons everything.
- Sour2 tbsp lime juice and 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- Cuts the peanut butter.
- Sweet1 tsp honey or sugar
- Rounds off the acid.
- Hot1 tbsp chili crisp
- Heat and crunch at once.
Loosen with warm water a tablespoon at a time until it is glossy and pourable.
How to Make It
Sauce whisked
Whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili crisp, honey and garlic.
Loosened
Whisk in warm water 1 tbsp at a time until the sauce is glossy and thick but pourable.
Cucumbers tossed
Toss the cucumber rounds with the peanut sauce until evenly coated.
Finished
Transfer to a serving dish and finish with chopped peanuts, cilantro and red pepper flakes. Serve immediately or chill up to 30 minutes.
Success Tips
- Whisk the sauce before slicing the cucumbers so they do not sit and weep.
- Stop adding water while the sauce still coats the whisk thickly.
- Toss just before serving so the rounds stay crunchy.
Ingredient Notes
- English cucumbers
- Two large, cut into half-inch rounds with the skin left on.
- Chili crisp
- A tablespoon, or chili-garlic sauce, for heat and texture.
- Warm water
- Two to four tablespoons, added slowly to loosen the sauce.
Why This Recipe Works
- Adding the water gradually stops the sauce splitting into a thin liquid.
- Thick rounds hold the sauce better than thin slices would.
- Leaving the skin on keeps the cucumber crunchy.
- Lime juice and rice vinegar keep the peanut butter from tasting heavy.
Serving Ideas
Pile into a shallow bowl with the peanuts and cilantro over the top, cold.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate if it is not served straight away; the cucumbers soften after about half an hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is anything cooked?
No. The sauce is whisked and the cucumbers tossed raw.
How spicy is it?
A tablespoon of chili crisp plus pepper flakes on top; use less for a milder dish.
