Dish · chinese
Smashed Cucumber Salad
Cucumber cracked open with the flat of a knife or a rolling pin, dressed with garlic, black vinegar, sesame oil, and chili oil.
Where it comes from
Smashing rather than slicing the cucumber is a Sichuan technique: the ragged, cracked surfaces absorb the dressing far better than a clean cut would, a practical method rather than a cosmetic one.
What cooks argue about
Cooks argue over salting and draining the cucumber first to remove excess water for a concentrated dressing, versus dressing it straight after smashing, which dilutes the sauce as it sits.
Versions
Nobody has published a smashed cucumber salad here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
cucumber
garlic
black vinegar
sesame oil toasted
chili oil