Smashed Cucumber Salad
This Asian cucumber salad is crunchy, refreshing, light, and incredibly tasty. It makes a wonderful cold side dish for any meal and is very easy and fun to put together. It's a great addition to your summer meals!
Equipment
Chef's Knife
Ingredients
- 1 pound cucumbers Persian, Japanese, or English cucumbers work well
- 1 tablespoon salt (for salting cucumbers)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon chili oil (optional)
- 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients.
- On a cutting board, cut cucumbers into 2-3 inch pieces. Lay down one piece, place the flat side of your knife on top of the cucumber. Use the heal of your other hand to firmly hit the flat of the blade one or two times until you smash the cucumber underneath. Seperate the cucumber pieces and put into a bowl. Repeat with other pieces of cucumber.
- Place the cucumbers in a colander over a bowl. Add one tablespoon of salt and thoroughly mix with your fingers. Set aside for about 15-20 minutes to allow the water to be drawn out of the cucumbers. Rinse and dry the cucumbers after the time is up. You can skip this step if you're short on time.
- Prepare the dressing. In a bowl, combine sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and chili oil. Mix to dissolve the sugar.
- Place the cucumbers on a serving dish and pour over the dressing. Mix together until cucumbers are coated. Garnish with sesame seeds and then enjoy!
Notes
- Cucumbers with thin skin like Japanese, Persian, or English cucumbers work best here.
- The chili oil is optional, add as much or as little as you like.
- If you're not eating the cucumber salad right away, keep the dressing and the cucumbers separate. Dress the cucumbers right before serving.
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