Smashed Cucumber Salad
Wake up your palate with this tangy, spicy Chinese salad!
Cooking Summary
Ingredients: (detailed list)
- Main Ingredients: cucumber, red bell pepper, garlic, green onion, cilantro
- For Salting: salt, sugar
- Sauce: chili sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, sugar
- Additional Seasoning: sesame seeds, sesame oil, cooking oil
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Top 3 Mistakes
- Leaving the watery cores in:
Remove the seedy cucumber cores before smashing and slicing. Those watery centers can dilute the dressing, so taking them out helps keep the salad crunchy and well seasoned.
- Smashing cucumbers to mush:
Use enough force to crack the cucumber open, but stop before it becomes a crushed paste. You still want substantial pieces that hold their texture when mixed with the dressing.
- Keeping the released water:
Let the salt draw moisture from the cucumber, then drain that liquid before adding the sauce. Mixing the dressing into the collected water leaves the finished salad diluted.
Overview
This healthy, refreshing dish is the perfect cold starter to wake up your appetite. It's the ultimate combination of lightly tangy and savory flavors with a touch of heat, delivered on the most satisfying crunch. Promise you can't eat just one piece!
Ingredients
Why this recipe
Most smashed cucumber salad recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 60+ years and can make this in his sleep.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 887.2K views, 18.8K likes on YouTube.
Types of cucumbers
English cucumbers, also known as greenhouse cucumbers, are longer and thinner, with dark green peel and a slightly sweet taste. English cucumbers also have thinner skin than American cucumbers, making them easier to eat without peeling.
American cucumbers, also known as slicing cucumbers, are shorter and thicker than English cucumbers, with a bright green color and a crunchy texture. They have a thicker and tougher peel, so they’re typically peeled for salads.
Persian cucumbers, also known as mini cucumbers or baby cucumbers, are small and thin, with a slightly curved shape and a crisp texture. They are typically sweeter and less bitter than other types of cucumbers, and have a delicate flavor that makes them popular for snacking and dipping. The skin is thin and tender.
You can use any of these cucumbers to make Smashed Cucumber Salad. My dad prefers English cucumbers, but concedes that Persian cucumbers also make a… smashing… Smashed Cucumber Salad.
Choosing a chili sauce
We use our homemade chili sauce for this recipe. We love being able to control the level of heat, and it’s reassuring to know the exact ingredients of our chili sauce. If you have the time and ingredients, we encourage you to make your own batch!
If homemade chili sauce is not your thing at the moment, we can also recommend Guilin Chili Sauce as a great store-bought option.
Guilin chili sauce originates from the city of Guilin in the Guangxi province. It’s made from a blend of chili peppers, garlic, fermented soybeans, and various spices, giving it a bold and complex flavor.
How to make Smashed Cucumber Salad
Cut cucumbers
Trim and discard the ends of the cucumbers (20 oz).
Peel stripes on the cucumber; the alternating pattern of peeled and unpeeled cucumber reduces the bitterness and toughness of the peel while still benefiting from the structure.
Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise. Carefully cut out the seedy cores. Removing these watery sections will help keep the cucumbers crunchy and prevent the sauce from getting watered down.
Using the flat side of your heavy cleaver, or another heavy blunt object like a sturdy rolling pin, smack down on the cucumber. Use enough strength to crush the cucumber open (but don’t obliterate into a paste-y mess).
Once you’ve smashed all the cucumbers, cut them into thick slices at an angle. Place the cut cucumber pieces into a bowl.
Cut other ingredients
Cut the red bell pepper (2 oz) into strips.
Dice the green onion (2 stalk) into small pieces.
Roughly chop up the cilantro (0.25 oz).
Smash, peel, and mince the garlic (4 clove).
Salt cucumbers & bell pepper
Add salt (1 tsp) and sugar (1 tsp) to the cucumber, mix them in thoroughly to distribute.
Add the chopped bell pepper and mix it in.
Set aside for 5-6 minutes so the salt can draw out the water from the vegetables. In the meantime, make the sauce.
Create sauce
Prepare the sauce by combining chili sauce (0.50 tsp), light soy sauce (1.3 tbsp), oyster sauce (1 tbsp), vinegar (2 tbsp), and sugar (2 tbsp). Add the minced garlic and stir to combine.
Drain cucumbers & bell pepper
Drain the water from the cucumber and bell pepper mix.
Combine everything & serve
Add the chopped green onions and the sauce to the vegetables. Mix well to distribute.
Add the chopped cilantro, sesame seeds (1 tbsp), sesame oil (0.50 tsp) and cooking oil (0.50 tbsp). Of course, you can adjust the amounts to your preferences. Mix well to distribute. Plate and enjoy! You can also refrigerate it until cool, if you’d like to enjoy it chilled.
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Made with love ❤️
We started Made With Lau to celebrate Cantonese culture and honor the legacy of our wonderful parents, Jenny and Chung Sun Lau.
Our hope is that these recipes and stories help you spread the joy, love, and nostalgia that I felt growing up.
