Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad

Smashed Cucumber Salad is a refreshing and delicious side dish made with fresh cucumbers tossed with some garlic, sesame oil and seasonings.

I love making takeaway food right at home. Here is a delicious Chinese salad that is popular on takeaway menus and takes less than 10 minutes to make.

There are 3 kinds of 'Chinese takeaway' - Indo-Chinese (like these Hakka noodles), American Chinese and authentic Chinese. Today's recipe falls under the last group.

Traditional Chinese food is very different from what we are used to eating in India and US. The dishes are simple, flavorful and are generally made with just a few ingredients.

This smashed cucumber salad is a perfect example. It needs only a handful of ingredients and tastes absolutely amazing.

Ingredients

The hero for this salad is 'Cucumber'. Small sized Persian cucumbers are best for this recipe.

If you cannot get your hands on Persian, then try Kirby or English cucumbers.

You also need some basic seasonings to flavor the salad. Garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, sesame oil, sugar and salt.

Instructions

As the name of the dish suggests, cukes are smashed (or whacked) to make this salad.

This smashing process releases the moisture in the vegetable and softens the inside. But keeps the crunchiness still intact.

So start by whacking the washed cucumbers with the flat side of a chef's knife. (This is a perfect excuse to take out your frustration after a long day).

Once done, combine them with garlic, sesame oil, crushed red pepper flakes, sugar and salt. Toss well to incorporate everything.

Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Serve right away or chilled.

Taste Test

This Chinese cucumber salad is very crispy, crunchy and absolutely refreshing.

What I love about this recipe is that there is no soy sauce or other strong flavors that are typical in Asian cooking. This is a simple, clean salad that is just delicious.

Tips

• Persian cucumbers are the best in this recipe. But feel free to use Kirby or smaller English cukes.
• This is a simple recipe that depends highly on the balance of flavors. So make sure to taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Few more Chinese style recipes to try at home:

• Chinese Cold sesame noodles
• Chinese potato stir fry
• Sesame tofu asparagus stir fry
• Tofu Skin Noodles stir fry
• Shanghai Fried Rice

More easy salad recipes to try:

• Chopped salad with ginger-honey dressing
• Moroccan Carrot Salad
• Scandinavian beet potato salad
• Uruguayan Bean Salad
• Sesame noodle & vegetable salad

Chinese Cucumber Salad

A refreshing and delicious salad made with smashed cucumbers and light seasonings. It is quick, easy and a great side dish to any meal.

Author: Pavani

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Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 serving

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 4 Medium Persian Cucumbers
• ½~1 teaspoon Red Chili flakes
• ½ teaspoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 ~ 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
• To taste Salt

Instructions

• Remove the ends of the cucumber. Place one cucumber at a time on the chopping board and wack it a few times to smash it.
• Cut them into thirds and then chop into about bite size pieces.
• Place the smashed and chopped cucumber in a bowl and add red chili flakes, sugar, sesame oil, minced garlic and salt. Mix well.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve right away or chill until ready to serve.

Notes

• Persian cucumbers are the best in this recipe. But feel free to use Kirby or smaller English cukes.
• This is a simple recipe that depends highly on the balance of flavors. So make sure to taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 40kcal

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