Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: cucumber salad, salad, smashed cucumber salad
- 1 cucumber
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3/4 - 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp chili oil
- 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
- red chili flakes (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp chopped garlic (optional)
Grab your cucumber and smash it using a rolling pin or water bottle. Make sure to hit it firmly enough to dent the cucumber, but not so firmly the cucumber just breaks apart entirely.
Slice the cucumber and remove the seeds if you like. I typically leave mine in.
Rub your cucumber slices with a bit of salt and let the cucumber marinate for 10 minutes or so. The cucumbers will release water so make sure to drain that excess water.
Add in your soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, red chili flakes, rice vinegar, and sugar. Feel free to adjust these ingredients to your preference. If you want it to taste more tangy and tart, add more rice vinegar; if you like it more sweet then add more sugar; and if you want it spicier you can add more chili flakes. Also, keep in mind that sesame oil has a really strong flavor. So I recommend adding a little less and then working up to more.
You can also add garlic if you'd like! But this dish is pretty flavorful even without it.