Asian Avocado Salad (Japanese Chuka-Style with Tomato and Cucumber)

In Japan, a “chuka salad” (中華サラダ) is a Chinese-style salad — vegetables tossed in a dressing of soy sauce, vinegar, and toasted sesame oil, usually with a pinch of chicken bouillon for savoriness. It’s not really Chinese food so much as the Japanese home version of it, and it’s one of the most common small side dishes on a Japanese dinner table.

This one is avocado, tomato, and cucumber, and it takes about five minutes. You cut the vegetables, stir the dressing ingredients straight into the bowl, and that’s it. I followed a recipe from Nadia, a Japanese recipe site, exactly as written, and served it the way we usually do — as one of the little side dishes next to rice, miso soup, and a main.

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The Short Answer

If you just want the method:

• What it is: a Japanese-style “chuka” (Chinese-style) salad of avocado, tomato, and cucumber in a soy, vinegar, and sesame oil dressing.
• The dressing: 2 tsp each of soy sauce, vinegar, and toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp chicken bouillon powder, and 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds.
• How it’s made: dice the avocado, cut the tomato and cucumber into chunks, add everything to a bowl, and toss. No whisking a dressing separately.
• How it’s eaten: as one small side dish in a Japanese dinner, next to rice, miso soup, and a main.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Five minutes, no cooking. Cut, season, toss. Nothing to heat and almost nothing to wash.
• Pantry dressing. Soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar — things you probably already have.
• Savory, not just sour. A little chicken bouillon powder makes the dressing taste rounder than a plain vinaigrette. The juices at the bottom of the bowl are good enough to drink.
• Balances a heavy main. Cool, fresh, and lightly tangy next to fried or rich dishes.

What is a Japanese Chuka Salad?

Chuka (中華) means Chinese-style, and in Japanese home cooking it usually signals a particular flavor: soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil, often with sesame seeds and chicken bouillon. You’ll find chuka salads made with cucumber, bean sprouts, glass noodles, seaweed, or tofu — any vegetable that tastes good cold with a tangy sesame dressing.

In a Japanese meal, a dish like this isn’t the “salad course.” It’s a kobachi (小鉢), a small bowl of something fresh that sits alongside the main dish, rice, and soup, so everyone eats a little of it throughout the meal. That’s why the portion is small — half an avocado and half a tomato for two people.

Ingredients (Serves 2 as a Side)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Avocado	½	Ripe but still firm
Tomato	½	Medium
Cucumber	1	Japanese or Persian cucumber
Soy sauce	2 tsp	Dressing
Vinegar	2 tsp	Dressing; rice vinegar or any mild vinegar
Toasted sesame oil	2 tsp	Dressing
Sugar	1 tsp	Dressing
Chicken bouillon powder	½ tsp	Chinese-style chicken stock powder
Toasted white sesame seeds	1 tbsp	Dressing

The flavor comes almost entirely from the toasted sesame oil and toasted white sesame seeds, so it’s worth using good ones. My soy sauce is a sweet Kyushu soy sauce; with a standard Japanese soy sauce, the dressing comes out a little saltier, which is fine.

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How to Make Asian Avocado Salad

Step 1: Cut the Vegetables

Dice the avocado into bite-sized cubes. Cut the tomato and cucumber into irregular bite-sized chunks — the Japanese rangiri cut, where you roll the vegetable a quarter turn between diagonal cuts. The uneven surfaces hold more dressing than neat slices.

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Step 2: Add the Dressing Ingredients and Toss

Put the vegetables in a bowl and add the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, and sesame seeds directly on top. Toss gently with a spoon until everything is coated. Go easy with the avocado so it doesn’t turn to mush.

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Step 3: Serve in Small Bowls

Spoon it into small bowls with some of the dressing from the bottom and serve right away. That’s the whole recipe.

Tips and Variations

• Dissolve the bouillon. Chicken bouillon powder can stay gritty in a cold dressing. Stir it with the soy sauce and vinegar for a few seconds first if you notice grains.
• Make it vegetarian. Leave out the chicken bouillon and add a pinch of salt or a few drops more soy sauce.
• Add some heat. A few drops of chili oil (rayu) is a very common addition to chuka dressings in Japan.
• Swap the vegetables. The same dressing works with just cucumber, or with blanched bean sprouts or wakame seaweed.

What to Serve It With

This is a side dish, so think of it as one small bowl in a full Japanese meal:

• Next to fried food like air fryer karaage, where something cool and tangy really helps.
• With rice and miso soup for a full set meal.
• Alongside other small sides like smashed cucumber with umeboshi or goma ae green beans.

Storing

This is best eaten right after it’s made. The avocado starts to brown and the cucumber releases water as it sits, so the salad gets watery within a few hours. If you want to prepare ahead, cut the cucumber and tomato and mix the dressing, keep them in the fridge separately, and add the avocado just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is in an Asian avocado salad dressing?

This Japanese chuka-style version uses soy sauce, vinegar, and toasted sesame oil in equal amounts, plus a little sugar, chicken bouillon powder, and toasted sesame seeds. It’s mixed directly in the bowl with the vegetables.

Is chuka salad Chinese or Japanese?

It’s Japanese. Chuka means “Chinese-style,” and the name refers to the soy, vinegar, and sesame oil flavor that Japanese cooks associate with Chinese food. The dish itself is an everyday Japanese home side dish.

Can I make it ahead?

Only partly. Mix the dressing and cut the cucumber and tomato ahead, but add the avocado and toss just before serving so it stays bright green and the salad doesn’t get watery.