Crisp cucumber ribbons swimming in a tangy, garlicky bath with just enough heat to wake up your taste buds. This is what happens when Chinese pickled vegetables meet taco logic—cooling crunch that amplifies flavor without overpowering.←Back to Taco Topping Recipes
1 whole English cucumber, peeled into ribbons
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp honey
2 whole garlic cloves, minced
0.5 tsp red chili flakes
0.25 tsp kosher salt
Use a vegetable peeler to create long cucumber ribbons, stopping when you hit the seedy center.
Whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, minced garlic, and chili flakes in a bowl.
Toss the cucumber ribbons with the dressing and add salt to taste.
Let it marinate for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld—patience pays off here.
Give it one final toss before serving to redistribute all that good dressing.
Chef's Notes
English cucumbers (the long ones wrapped in plastic) are the right choice here because they're virtually seedless and have thinner skin than regular slicing cucumbers. You can skip peeling entirely if you want. Persian cucumbers also work beautifully if you can find them. For the ribbons, run a vegetable peeler down the length of the cucumber, rotating as you go, and stop when you hit the seedy core (which you can snack on or discard). If your peeler isn't cooperating, a mandoline on a thin setting creates beautiful uniform ribbons, though it also creates opportunities for finger injury, so proceed with focus. The salting step is important: salt those ribbons lightly, let them drain in a colander for 10-15 minutes, then pat dry. Cucumbers are mostly water and will dilute your dressing into sadness if you skip this. Rice vinegar is milder and sweeter than distilled white vinegar; find it in the Asian aisle. The toasted sesame oil should smell like an Asian restaurant in the best way. If yours smells like nothing, it's either light sesame oil (flavorless) or has gone rancid. This relish is best within a few hours of making, when the cucumbers are still crisp and haven't surrendered their crunch to the dressing. It's called dragon relish because, well, look at it. It has an energy.
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