How To Make Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
If you grow cucumbers you’ll know that at some point you just have an over abundance of them. This Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad is a great way to use a couple of them.
This recipe is naturally gluten free.
Watch A Video
Here is a video of 2 Cooks in the Kitchen making Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
Ingredients For Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
- 1 lb Cucumbers
- 1 Tbls Tamari
- 1 Tbls Black Vinegar
- 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- Sesame Seeds
Peel the Cucumbers
We grow a variety of cucumber called Straight 8. These are fairly normal cucumbers you would find in a grocery store. You can use any kind of cucumbers you want for this recipe. We’ll start by peeling the cucumbers. We use a vegetable peeler to make this job easy.
Remove the Seeds
Next we want to remove the seeds. We’ll cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. You’ll find that they come out very easily.
Smash the Cucumbers
We put the cucumbers in a bag and smash them with our fist. You can also use the handle end of a knife. The reason we do this is to make uneven edges on the cucumbers that the dressing and flavors can stick to.
Cut the Cucumbers
Then we cut the smashed cucumbers into small cubes.
Make the Dressing
We’ll put the tamari and black vinegar in a small mixing bowl. We are using tamari because it is gluten free.
Toasted Sesame Oil
Next we add the sesame oil. You’ll want toasted sesame oil here as it has a lot more flavor than untoasted sesame oil. It also has a darker color.
Sugar, Red Pepper Flakes and Salt
The last ingredients we need for our dressing are sugar, red pepper flakes and salt. You can vary the amount or type of red pepper flakes but we like this salad with just 1/2 teaspoon for a little kick without going overboard.
Mix Well
We’ll use a whisk to mix the dressing thoroughly, making sure all the sugar is dissolved.
Pour Over the Cucumber Pieces
Next we pour the dressing over the bowl of cucumber pieces.
Mix Well
We’ll mix this together well, making sure all the cucumber pieces get coated with the dressing.
Garnish With Sesame Seeds
Lastly we will sprinkle sesame seeds over the Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad to garnish it and our salad is ready to serve.
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PrintHow To Make Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 Side Salads 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
If you grow cucumbers you’ll know that at some point you just have an over abundance of them. This Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad is a great way to use a couple of them.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cucumbers
- 1 Tbls Tamari
- 1 Tbls Black Vinegar
- 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Peel the cucumbers. Cut them in half lengthwise and put them in a plastic bag. Pound the cucumbers with your fist or the handle end of a knife. Cut the smashed cucumbers into bite size pieces and put them into a mixing bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the tamari, black vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and red pepper flakes. Whisk the mixture until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the dressing over the cucumber pieces and mix to coat all the pieces evenly.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.