Chinese
Smashed Cucumber Salad
Cucumbers are smashed so the dressing gets inside, then salted and dressed with garlic, soy, and chili. It is cold, crunchy, and not the creamy cucumber salad.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Photo: Andrew Currie (CC BY-SA). Source
Why you’ll love it
- Smashing the cucumber makes more surface for the dressing.
- A short salt draws out water so the salad stays crisp.
- Garlic is raw, so it should be fine, not chunks.
- It needs no stove.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Smack the cucumbers with the side of a knife until they split, then tear them into bite-size pieces.
- 2
Toss with salt and sit 10 minutes. Drain the water and pat dry.
- 3
Stir the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and chili together.
- 4
Toss the cucumbers with the dressing.
- 5
Top with sesame seeds and serve cold.
Pro tips
- Drain well or the dressing tastes watery.
- English cucumbers have fewer seeds and less water.
- Add the chili to taste. The salad should tingle, not burn.
Easy substitutions
- Chili crisp
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- Soy sauce
- Tamari
- Sesame oil
- A few drops of neutral oil
Storage and reheating
Storage
Best within a few hours. Refrigerate up to 1 day.
Reheating
Do not reheat. Serve cold.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 70
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Budget friendly · No Cook · Vegetarian, Dairy-Free
You might also like
Greek Salad
Tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and olives are tossed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano. A block of feta goes on at the end so it stays in large pieces.
20 min · Easy
View recipe
Classic Coleslaw
Shredded cabbage and carrot in a tangy mayo dressing, salted so it tastes like slaw and not like sweet salad.
15 min · Easy
View recipe
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Cucumber, tomato, and red onion with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and feta. A raw side that takes about 15 minutes and no stove.
15 min · Easy
View recipe
Broccoli Salad
Raw broccoli is tossed with crisp bacon, cheddar, red onion, and sunflower seeds in a sweet-tangy mayonnaise dressing. The salad sits long enough for the florets to soften slightly but stay crunchy.
25 min · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Potato Salad
Yukon Gold potatoes and hard-cooked eggs are folded with celery, onion, pickle, and a mayonnaise-mustard dressing. The salad is chilled so the potatoes soak up the dressing before serving.
40 min · Easy
View recipe
Soy-Glazed Snap Peas
Snap peas hit a hot pan for a few minutes, then a thin soy-honey glaze coats them. They should stay crisp, not limp.
14 min · Easy
View recipe
Charred Lemon Asparagus
Asparagus roasts hot so the tips char and the stalks stay snappy. Lemon and a little parmesan go on while the pan is still hot.
20 min · Easy
View recipe
Cilantro Lime Rice
Plain long-grain rice steamed, then stirred with lime juice and cilantro. Rinse the rice so it cooks up separate, not sticky.
23 min · Easy
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.