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📋Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad

Chinese smashed cucumber salad is a crunchy, spicy, refreshing side dish. This cucumber salad is made by bashing cucumber so they burst open and the craggy edges allow the chili oil dressing to seep into all the cracks and crevices. Makes a great summer side dish. The texture of this cucumber salad is addicting and every bit of cucumber is loaded with the flavors of the dressing!
Prep Time15 minutes
Chill Time15 minutes
Course: Salad, Side Dish, side salad
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 76kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb cucumber Persian cucumber or English cucumber
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger minced
  • 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 teaspoons light soy sauce
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons chili oil spicy chili crisp
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup green onion
  • 3 stalks of cilantro leaves

Instructions

  • Make the dressing first. Shake or mix together minced garlic, minced ginger, rice vinegar, light soy sauce, sugar, chili oil, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. Set aside until use.
  • Wash the cucumber under tap water and wipe it dry with a kitchen towel. Trim both ends of the cucumber.
  • You’ll need to use something heavy like a meat mallet or a large flat knife or rolling pin or pestle to bash cucumber. Bash to bust open on a cutting board. Don’t bash to a point where cucumber is mush. You just want it to crack open. Make sure to smash along the entire length of the cucumber.
  • Then chop cucumbers roughly into ½-inch thick slices.
  • Transfer smashed and sliced cucumber to a large bowl. Lightly salt it. Toss cucumber in salt to coat uniformly. Leave it for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Then, drain all the water left at the bottom of the bowl. Add dressing, green onion, and cilantro leaves.
  • Gently toss to coat cucumber in the dressing.
  • Garnish with some more cilantro leaves, green onion, and toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and serve chilled.

Video

Notes

Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 692mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg