Smacked Cucumber Salad 拍黄瓜

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Is any Chinese meal really complete without a dish of this savory, garlicky smacked cucumber salad on the side? The sauce is a piquant mix of soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and a pinch of sugar, with a drizzle of chili oil for aroma. Simply smash and cut the cucumbers, toss them in the sauce and adjust until the flavors sing. It’s an effortless dish that’s always refreshing.

Tips for making this recipe:

• Use good-quality cucumbers! I like to buy local organic cucumbers from my farmers market as I’ve found they have the best flavor. In terms of variety, hothouse cucumbers (the long, slender ones), Persian, or Japanese cucumbers work best as they have thinner skin and very few seeds.
• Smack the cucumber with the flat blade of a wide chef’s knife/cleaver or a rolling pin, then cut on the diagonal into bite-sized pieces. This is actually a crucial step for flavor: when you split open the cucumber this way, it creates craggy edges and rough surfaces that better absorb the sauce.
• The Sichuan chili oil is optional but recommended if you want a bit of heat (and a drizzle of it makes the dish look prettier!).

If you made this recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and a rating below. Or tag me on Instagram @hannah.che, I love seeing your re-creations!

Get more recipes like this in my new cookbook with Penguin Random House, The Vegan Chinese Kitchen!

📖 Recipe

Smacked Cucumber Salad 拍黄瓜

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

Perfumed with sesame oil and garlic, this crunchy and refreshing cucumber salad is one of the most ubiquitous Chinese starter dishes, and everyone makes it differently, so feel free to adjust until it’s exactly the way you like it—a pinch more sugar for extra sweetness; black vinegar for a mellower, fragrant aroma; pale rice vinegar for sharper, fruity acidity; extra chili oil for roasted, smoky notes; or one or two thinly sliced bird’s-eye chiles for heat. At some Chinese restaurants, they’ll scatter a handful of crisp fried peanuts on top right before serving. And be sure to whack the cucumber with the blade of a Chinese cleaver or a large rolling pin until it splits: the craggy edges look more appealing, and the rough surfaces of the cool, juicy flesh better absorb the sweet-sharp flavors of the dressing.

• Author: Hannah
• Prep Time: 40
• Total Time: 40
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Side Dishes
• Method: No Cook
• Cuisine: Chinese
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 long hothouse cucumber or 3 small Persian cucumbers (12 ounces/340 grams)*
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Chinkiang black vinegar (sub clear rice vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan chili oil (with sediment), ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh red chiles

Instructions

• Trim off both ends of the cucumber. Lay it on a cutting board and smack it a few times with the flat side of a Chinese cleaver, knife blade, or heavy rolling pin until it splits into large pieces. (To prevent the seeds from flying out over your counter, you can also place the cucumber in a zip-top bag or wrap it in a towel first.) Cut the split cucumber at a diagonal into ½-inch bite-sized pieces. Place them in a medium bowl and sprinkle evenly with the salt, then cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. 
• Drain off any water the cucumber has released (without rinsing off the salt). Add the garlic, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and chili oil and toss to coat, adjusting the seasonings to taste; more soy sauce for savoriness, more vinegar for acidity, or chili oil for extra aroma and heat. Let sit in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes before serving.
• The cucumbers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

*Avoid thick-skinned, seedy cucumbers—the best choice is slender hothouse cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, or Japanese kyuri cucumbers, which have delicate, thin skin, smaller seeds, and crunchier flesh. 

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ¼ of recipe
• Calories: 58
• Sugar: 1.9g
• Sodium: 303.5mg
• Fat: 4.6g
• Carbohydrates: 4g
• Protein: 0.8g

Keywords: cucumber, smacked cucumber, chinese cucumber salad