Chinese Cucumber Salad
Smashed Persian cucumber pieces are salted ahead of time, then combined with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chili pepper, and allowed to marinate for at least an hour before serving. This traditional Chinese cucumber salad, featured from Cynthia Chen's cookbook The Common Table, becomes more flavorful with time, so if you wish to prepare this salad a half day or day ahead, don't hesitate! Please see the recipe notes section for optional add-in's and substitution ideas.
Ingredients
- ½ lb (8 oz) Persian or Kirby cucumbers (2 to 3 small cucumbers) unpeeled
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- 1 to 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ to 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes *I used ½ finely sliced red finger chili pepper, pictured
Instructions
- Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then into 1-inch pieces. Place the pieces cut-side down down on a cutting board. Working with a few pieces at a time, lay the broad side of a wide chef's knife or cleaver on top of the cucumbers, and carefully use the palm of your free hand to smash down lightly on the blade. The pieces should crack and split open, leaving more surface area for the seasonings to flavor them.
- Place the smashed cucumbers in a shallow bowl and sprinkle them evenly with the salt. Set aside until cucumbers release water, 20 to 30 minutes. (Persian cucumbers may not release much.)
- When the cucumbers are done brining, drain off any water that has collected. Stir in 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon soy sauce, and red pepper flakes (or red finger chili pepper slices) if using. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Let sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour. Tip for Success: The salad will taste better with time, so if possible refrigerate and marinate for 6 hours or longer to let the flavors develop.
Tips for Success:
- Fresh Garlic - feel free to add some microplaned fresh garlic to the salad. Raw garlic will become stronger as it sits, so keep this in mind if preparing the salad in advance.
- Toasted Sesame seeds - this is a lovely addition!
- Black Vinegar - if you can find it, black vinegar (aged rice-based vinegar) adds a lovely complexity to this salad in lieu of regular rice vinegar.
- If using larger, thicker-skinned cucumbers, feel free to peel them.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 45kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 454mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g