This cucumber salad is truly the best I’ve ever made!

Not only because it’s cut in such a fun shape, which is called coir raincoat but the flavor is simply scrumptious!  I’ve always loved ordering cucumber salad at different asian restaurants.  It is the perfect dish as it’s so refreshing and flavorsome!

This coir rainbow cucumber salad is inspired by a Chinese cucumber salad, adding in gochugaru, which is Korean spice.  I find it be more flavorful then intensely spicy and pairs perfect in this cucumber salad with flavors from sweet coconut aminos, coconut sugar and sesame.

Persian Cucumbers For The Win

I absolutely love Persian cucumbers, especially in this dish.

Unlike regular American cucumbers sold at most grocery stores, Persian cucumbers are smaller, less bitter and watery and have more flavor in my opinion.

They work really well in Asian and Middle Eastern dishes because they absorb a lot of flavor and pair well with a variety of spices and salt.

Typically you can find Persian cucumbers sold in packs.  I usually get mine at Trader Joes.  They even have organic!

The Fun Part: Making the Coir Raincoat Shape

This shape reminds me of an accordion or slinky!  Although it may seem intimidating to cut properly, it’s really easy using just a few tricks to do.

*scroll down to see the recipe video as well*

First start by setting your Persian cucumbers down on a cutting board.  Persian cucumbers are smaller in shape therefore best for this recipe since they are about 5 inches long and will almost triple in length once cut this way.

Start by surrounding your cucumber with chopsticks by placing a chopstick parallel to the cucumber on each side.

Hold the cucumber in place between the chopsticks and use a sharp knife to cut horizontal lines with a spacing of about 1/4 of an inch all the way down the cucumber.

the front of the cucumber, cutting horizontally down the cucumber