How spicy is the salad?

It definitely does have a spicy kick from the chilli oil, but it's quite mild. If you're worried about the spice level, use 1/2 tablespoon of chilli oil instead.

Can I make this in advance?

You can smack and chop the cucumber into chunks and mix the dressing ingredients together in advance (up to 3 days), but I wouldn't mix the cucumber and dressing until you're ready to serve. The longer the cucumber sits in the dressing, the more liquidy it becomes.

What can I serve with the salad?

This is one of my favourite salads because it's so versatile! I've shared 3 of my favourite ideas below, but I love this salad alongside grilled chicken or salmon with some rice, tossed through soba noodles (the dressing makes the most unbelievable sauce), on top of a dip like labneh or as a fresh, zingy side to dumplings or bao.

What does smacking the cucumber do?

This fun, albeit weird, way to prepare the cucumber for this salad does actually serve a purpose. When you smack the cucumber, you're bruising the flesh and breaking the texture down a bit. This means that the dressing can penetrate the cucumber a lot faster so you don't need to marinate or pickle the cucumber before serving. It gives you more flavour in a shorter amount of time, which makes it a win-win in my book!

Smacked Cucumber Salad

Name: Smacked Cucumber Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 1 large cucumber (approximately 350g); 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated; 1 tablespoon light soy sauce; 1.5 tablespoons chilli oil; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; Rolling pin

Description

This zingy smacked cucumber salad is the ultimate refreshing side. Ready in just 5 minutes, it’s as easy as whacking some cucumbers with a rolling pin, chopping them up and tossing with a salty, spicy dressing.

Ingredients

Scale

1 large cucumber (approximately 350g)
2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons chilli oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Equipment –

Rolling pin

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Instructions

Smack the cucumber. Lay the cucumber out on a flat surface and smack it a couple of times with the rolling pin, until it splits and cracks (this can get a little messy with flying cucumber juice!)
Cut the cucumber. Cut the smacked cucumber in half, then in half lengthways, and chop that half into long strips. Chop the strips into small chunks and set aside in a bowl.
Mix the cucumber and dressing. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoons of chilli oil, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and ½ teaspoon of salt to the bowl and give everything a good mix so the cucumbers are coated.
Serve the salad. Transfer to a serving plate and eat right away.

Notes

The longer the salad sits the more liquidy it will become. That’s because the water will come out of the cucumber so it is best eaten soon after mixing. It will however keep for 3 days in the fridge and is great mixed into other salads, or used to top poke bowls.

You can use a store bought chilli oil here but why not try making my homemade chilli oil? It’s easier than you’d think and so much better than any you can buy.

Prep Time: 5
Category: salads
Method: no cook
Cuisine: asian

Nutrition

Serving Size: Half a cucumber

Keywords: cucumber salad, asian salad, pickled cucumber