China · Home-style
Smashed Cucumber Salad
Cucumbers smashed rather than sliced, salted to draw out water, then dressed with garlic, vinegar and soy. The rough edges soak up more of the dressing.
Smashing the cucumber instead of slicing it is the whole point of the dish. The broken flesh gives the dressing somewhere to go, which is why the salad tastes stronger than a neatly sliced one. Chinese cooks have always preferred this knife work, and it makes the dish one of the quickest things in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- cucumber200 g
- vinegar7.5 ml
- soy sauce5 ml
- garlic3 pieces
- salt0.4 g
- sesame oil5 ml
- oyster sauce5 ml
Directions
- 1
Smash the cucumber flat with the side of a cleaver, then chop it into rough pieces about 3 cm long.
- 2
Put the crushed cucumber into a bowl.
- 3
Smash the garlic and chop it finely.
- 4
Add 5 g sugar to the bowl, mix well and leave for 15 minutes. Salting with sugar tastes better and keeps the cucumber looking fresh rather than wilted.
- 5
Pour in the vinegar, soy sauce, salt, oyster sauce and garlic in turn, stirring as you go.
- 6
Add the sesame oil and stir until evenly combined.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.