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A flat-lay with a red background and white plate of Spicy Quinoa Salad. An opened jar of Momofuku chili crunch and a red & white dish towel are visible.
Sacha Hirschfeld

Spicy Quinoa Salad with Cucumber & Edamame

A riff on the classic smashed Asian cucumber salad, this recipe can be enjoyed both as a main or side-dish. Flavorful, light, and refreshing; this salad is quite frankly addicting!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Mains, Sides
Cuisine: Chinese-American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad:
  • 3 cups chilled quinoa 1 cup uncooked; I cook mine in the rice maker
  • 1 English cucumber seeds removed; each half cut lengthwise and diced
  • 250 g edamame cooked and shelled; see notes
  • 2 scallions sliced
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro large stems removed
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 avocado for serving
Dressing:
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 3 tsp Liquid Aminos or soy sauce; I use Braggs
  • 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1-2 tsp chili crunch see notes
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 ½ tsp sugar
  • 3 garlic cloves minced

Equipment

  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 whisk
  • 1 chefs knife
  • 1 cutting board
  • measuring spoons
  • measuring cups

Method
 

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together: sesame oil, liquid aminos, rice vinegar, chili crunch, sugar, salt, and garlic. Whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
  2. Add chilled quinoa, cucumber, edamame, and scallions to the bowl with the dressing; stir until combined. Fold in cilantro and top with sesame seeds.
  3. Serve with ½ avocado per person (sliced or cut into bite-sized pieces). Enjoy immediately or pop it in the fridge for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to marry.

Notes

What kind of shelled edamame/soy beans should I buy?
My go-to is the vacuum sealed package from Trader Joe's. This recipe calls for the exact amount of 1 package. They're already cooked, so all you have to do is add them to your salad. It really can't get easier than that! If you don't have access to a Trader Joe's or can't find the vacuum sealed packs where you are, most grocery stores sell frozen shelled edamame. You just have to give them a quick boil as per the package instructions, drain, and add to your salad. 
What is Chili Crunch or Chili Crisp?
Chili Crunch and Chili Crisp are used interchangeably. It's a condiment thats wildly popular in Chinese cuisine and often used with noodles, dumplings etc. The heat levels vary between each brand but they're all made up of roughly the same components. You can expect oil, dried chili peppers, garlic, shallots, peanuts or sesame seeds, and spices. 
I always reach for a jar of Momofuku Chili Crunch but there are quite a few great products on the market. Some brands you can look for are:
Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp
S&B Crunchy Garlic Chili Oil
Mr Bing's Chili Crisp
Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch