Smashed Cucumber Salad 🌶 🇨🇳

On the anniversary of the launching of this blog, I thought I'd write up this recipe of my favourite cucumber salad, something easy and fun to do.  The cucumbers are smashed up, torn into chunks by hand, then flavoured with an Asian dressing of soy, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and chilli oil.  Believe me, cucumbers prepared this way taste so much better than if they were sliced neatly with a knife.  It has to do with the bruised, uneven surfaces of the cucumber pieces sucking up all the goodness of the dressing.  The dish looks invitingly rustic too.  Before you search for a mallet in your kitchen drawer, use excessive force or make a mess with cucumbers flying everywhere, note my recommended method below for this smashing salad.

Thank you for checking out my blog and giving me feedback on my recipes the last 12 months!

 

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Lebanese cucumbers
• a handful of coriander leaves
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted
• 3 teaspoons chilli oil *

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

*I recommend the Lao Gan Ma brand (pictured above right) available in a jar from the Asian section of the supermarkets.  It has visible chilli flakes and seeds that give it a robust texture and is only moderately spicy. 

METHOD

1. For the dressing, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.  Stir in the sesame oil.
2. Top and tail the cucumbers.  Peel a few strips of the skin from each cucumber in a zebra pattern, or leave them unpeeled if you wish.
3. On a cutting board, loosely wrap each cucumber up with a clean tea towel, then press firmly down with a rolling pin in several places to smash it open. 
4. With your hands, tear the smashed cucumbers into chunks over a large bowl.
5. Add the dressing to the cucumbers and toss to coat.
6. Transfer cucumbers to a serving plate.  Garnish with coriander leaves and sesame seeds.  Drizzle over chilli oil.  Serve immediately for best flavour and maximum crunch.