Smashed Cucumber Salad
Crunchy, refreshing, cooling. These are the words that float into my mind when I think of this Smashed Cucumber Salad. This is definitely one of the most popular Summer dishes in Chinese cuisine. Since I was little, I have often heard from Grandparents that “Summer is the best season for squashes (including cucumbers)”. I secretly admired their awareness of the seasons and their ability to easily name the best seasonal produce. This Smashed Cucumber Salad was and still is a frequent dish on our dining table. It not only cools the summer heat, it also brings me back to Grandma’s heated kitchen during those summer days. Plus it takes less than 15 minutes to prepare!
Cucumber salad recipes really vary. Some recipes are more sweet and sour, some are more garlicky and spicy; some add roasted peanuts, and others add Enoki Mushrooms or Chinese Black Fungus (I will write more about this product. A magical food). But as long as it’s dressed with the essentials of garlic, vinegar and sesame oil, the rest are really adjustable according to personal preference. The recipe I am introducing is based on my Grandma’s version. We used to have this dish a few times a week in the heated months of July and August in Northern China.
A large variety of cucumbers can be found in the market nowadays, whether locally grown or imported. Most of these cucumbers are good for this particular salad, like Chinese cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, Japanese cucumbers or English cucumbers. I only recommend not to use cucumbers with thick skin. Thick skin is not ideal for flavour absorption. Presentation wise, you would prefer to retain some skin for its dark green colour, otherwise the dish looks pale.
A Bit of History…
Did you know that cucumber is actually a fruit, not a vegetable? Botanically, it’s a fruit because it is grown from flowers and it contains seeds. But culinary wise, it has been used as a vegetable in numerous dishes all over the world. Cucumbers originate from India, where a large variety was discovered. Since, the vegetable, or the fruit, has been cultivated for more than 3000 years in China and other parts of Asia. It also spread to Greece and Italy and then was brought to America.
It's difficult to find out where Cucumber Salad was originated from. Salad type of dishes are called “cold mix” in Chinese, so this dish, if literally translated, would be named “Cold Mixed Cucumber”. The unique method of smashing the cucumbers before cutting however, originates from North Eastern China, a region known for its freezing Winters. Why smash instead or cutting? First, smashing will get rid of some of the seeding part, which is very watery and dilutes the dressing. Second, smashing releases some juice from the squash part of the cucumber, enhancing fragrance and flavour. Lastly, cutting leaves clean edges and smooth surfaces, whilst smashing leaves rough edges that create more contacts for the absorption of dressing.
Health Benefits of Cucumbers
Cucumbers deliver many great health benefits. Its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties are well recognised and utilised in many beauty products. It prevents dehydration, lowers blood sugar, and increases bowel movements. 95% of cucumber is water. It is also high in fibre, low in calories, and contains a high percentage of Vitamin K, which is essential for healthy bones. Similar benefits of cucumbers were written in old Chinese Medicine documents. However, since the attribute of cucumbers is considered as something cold for our bodies according to Chinese medicine, it is not recommended to be consumed often by people with respiratory, stomach or spleen problems.
Cooking Tips
How to smash: Lay one cucumber horizontally on the cutting board with a wet cloth underneath to prevent the board from slipping. Cut off the two ends.
It’s easier to smash with knives that have straight and wide blades. Chinese Chefs mainly use one wide-bladed knife for most cutting and chopping. If you don’t have this type of knife, use the biggest you have on hand.
Hold the knife flat with the unsharpened edge close to yourself and sharp edge away from yourself. The flat surface of the blade is placed parallel to the cucumber. Smash confidently, the cucumber will break and juice will splash, so wear an apron and clear out the countertop. Repeat till the whole cucumber is cracked. It’s not necessary to smash till the cucumber splits into pieces. As long as it’s cracked, it’ll break easily when cutting (next step).
If you have a knife with narrow blade, use the palm of the other hand to assist. Lay the flat side of the blade on top of the cucumber with blade side facing away. Hold the other hand in the air, palm side facing down. Hit the blade confidently, using mainly the bottom of the palm. This will also crack the cucumbers easily.
There is NO need to hold the cucumber to stabilise it. You don’t want any part of the hand to be near or under the blade during smashing. The smashing movement is quite swift, so the cucumber doesn't really move around much.
After smashing, cut it into thick slices at an angle. Each cut is about 2cms apart. The smashed cucumber breaks easily. Slices too thin will result in tiny pieces that take away the crunchiness.
If using larger cucumbers, cut instead of smash: Persian cucumbers have very thin skin and little seeds. If using a longer cucumber with more seeds, first peel partial of the skin by leaving stripes of the skin on to enhance presentation.
Then cut off the ends and halve the large cucumber along the long side then halve again. Slice away the seeds as shown in the picture. Lastly, cut into desired sizes.
Preserving the bright green color: Put the cut cucumbers into a bowl or plate. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt and mix evenly. Let the cucumbers rest for 10 mins. The salt preserves the bright green color. Salt also help release excessive water. Cucumbers release a lot of water if not consumed right away, but too much water dilutes flavour and reduces crunchiness.
Which type of vinegar to use? For this dish, dark vinegar is preferred. At least this is what my Grandma used for her cucumber salad recipe. White or rice vinegar can also be used as substitutes. Their acidity is crisp and high, tasting more sour. It pairs perfectly with spiciness as a moderating ingredient. Also, the original colors of the ingredients are unaltered because they are transparent. However in this salad, dark vinegar deepens and enhances the green colour. Also compared to white vinegar, dark vinegar’s acidity is more layered with saltiness and fragrance. I found it especially pairs well with garlic and sesame oil. Below are some typical white and dark vinegars used in Chinese cooking. There are too many brands. These are just what I have in the kitchen.
I would not recommend Balsamic Vinegar for its distinguishable flavour.
Smashed Cucumber Salad
Servings of 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 persian cucumbers or 2 english cucumbers
2 cloves of garlic
3-4 pcs of cilantro (about ½ cup after chopping)
1pc of fresh red chili (optional)
30mL (2 tbsp) dark vinegar
15mL (1 tbsp) sesame oil
7.5g (1½ tsp) salt
8g (2 tsp) sugar (to balance the acidity of vinegar)
Equipment
Cutting board and knife
Vegetable washing basket or bowl
garlic press or grind
Colander or strainer
Peeler
Salad bowl
Steps
Mise en Place.
1. Wash the cucumbers clean. I usually add a pinch of salt to water and soak the cucumbers for 5 minutes before rinsing. Alternatively, use 1 tbsp of starch to rub the cucumber skin then wash clean.
2. Smash and cut the cucumbers, then gather in a bowl or plate. Sprinkle 2.5g ( ½ tsp) salt and mix gently, then leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare other ingredients.
3. Roughly chop cilantro to 2cm long pieces, throwing away the ends and thick stems.
4. Scrape away the seeds of red chilli and chop to 5mm long pieces.
5. Peel 2 garlic cloves. These will be pressed later using a garlic press. If cutting by knife, I usually slice the cloves first then cut it again into small pieces. Minced pieces are preferred for this salad.
6. Pour away the released cucumber juice after resting.
7. Add pressed or minced garlic, red chilli, sugar, rest of salt, vinegar, sesame oil. Mix thoroughly but avoid breaking the cucumber.
8. Add cilantro as garnish.
To Serve
The salad can be served right away or left on the counter or fridge for 15-20 mins for a stronger flavor. The dish can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge. i found the salad still retains the color and crunchiness overnight. The lovely bright green colour of the salad speaks so much of Summer. It feels refreshing just looking at it! Each bite is filled with crunchiness, hydration, and a balanced sourness that is perfect as a summer salad alone or an appetiser before the meal.
