Xian Famous Foods Chinese Inspired Smashed Cucumber Salad Recipes

SMASHED CHINESE CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Place the cucumbers in a resealable plastic bag. Seal and use the palm of your hand to lightly smash the cucumbers. Take the cucumbers out of the bag and cut into 1-inch chunks. Add to a bowl and season with salt. Toss to coat.
• Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and chile flakes in a medium bowl. Whisk to dissolve the sugar.
• Add the cucumbers, then toss and garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and cilantro.

XI'AN FAMOUS FOODS CHINESE INSPIRED SMASHED CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Trim the ends off of the cucumbers then take the flat side of your knife and place it sideways on top of one cucumber. Using your hand, carefully smash them like you would a clove of garlic. Repeat for all cucumbers.
• Using your hands, tear the smashed cucumbers into pieces and place in a small bowl so there's not a lot of excess room for them to float around.
• Fill the bowl half way with rice wine vinegar so that half of the cucumbers are submerged. Then fill the rest of the bowl with water. Give it a stir and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, drain the liquid from the cucumbers then add the black vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and the crispy chili oil on top. **I recommend starting with 1 tbsp of the chili oil and then adding another after tasting because depending on the brand, sometimes it's super spicy and sometimes it's not.**
• Now stir everything together and let them rest for at 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

CHINESE SMASHED CUCUMBERS WITH SESAME OIL AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Rinse cucumbers and pat dry. Cut crosswise into pieces about 4 inches long. Cut each piece in half lengthwise.
• On a work surface, place a piece of cucumber (or several) cut side down. Lay the blade of a large knife flat on top the cucumber and smash down lightly with your other hand. The skin will begin to crack, the flesh will break down and the seeds will separate. Repeat until the whole piece is smashed. Break or slice diagonally into bite-size pieces, leaving the seeds behind.
• Place the cucumber pieces in a strainer and toss with a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of sugar. Place a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the cucumbers to serve as a weight and place the strainer over a bowl. Let drain 15 to 30 minutes on the counter, or in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar and rice vinegar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in sesame oil and soy sauce.
• When ready to serve, shake cucumbers well to drain off any remaining liquid and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with grapeseed or olive oil and toss. Add half the dressing, half the garlic and the red pepper flakes to taste, and toss. Keep adding dressing until cucumbers are well coated but not drowned. Taste and add more pepper flakes and garlic if needed. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds.