• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Tasha's Artisan Foods

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home > Recipes > Salad

    January 8, 2023

    Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Crunchy, crispy, and with the cleanest flavor, Asian Cucumber Salad is the best cucumber salad to have for lunch, dinner, or any time of the day as a snack. You just can’t mess up this fresh salad because, besides smashed cucumbers, it asks for so few ingredients!

    Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

    After the heavy-duty holiday baking, our souls and stomachs were craving cleaner and lighter food. And an Asian cucumber salad made the perfect foil to the binge fest of December.

    A cucumber salad in winter? I know most of you are zapped. Bear with me and try the smashed cucumber salad just once, and you'll be hooked for life.

    The cool cucumbers against the backdrop of fiery chili oil and sharp vinegar make it a sensory heaven that you can have all year round. When summer ripens into autumn or the autumn blaze fades into winter. When winter grudgingly relents to the urgency of spring or spring blooms into summer once more.

    Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

    Jump to:

    How to make

    Variations

    Notes

    More recipes

    WHY TRY THE ASIAN SMASHED CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPE

    A refreshingly saucy salad that you can customize in dozens of ways

    You can have it as a lunch salad or as a salad for dinner

    It’s also a perfect complement to any number of meals

    Quick and easy to make

    Ingredients for Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

    WHAT IS CRUSHED CUCUMBER SALAD?

    Smashed cucumber is a popular snack across Asia, found almost everywhere from streets to restaurants. The dressing used in the salad changes, giving rise to Korean smashed cucumber salad, cucumber Chinese salad, and even smacked cucumber in Tibet.

    What doesn’t change is the process. Instead of cutting the cucumber, the salad relies on whacking it open. When you give the culinary vegetable a good wallop, the skin cracks and the crispy flesh splits into intact chunks mixed with tender rubble.

    It’s the small, scraggy pieces that make all the delicious difference to the fresh salad because they absorb the flavors of oil, minced garlic, and vinegar lightning fast.

    Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

    HOW TO MAKE ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD?

    Step 1: Wash your cucumbers thoroughly and dry them.

    Step 2: Lay them down on your counter, skin and all, and with the flat side of a large knife, whack them.

    Smash the cucumbers using flat side of a large knife

    Step 3: As you pound the cucumbers, you’ll find they burst open and split into four or so spears. Cut the smashed cucumber into about 1.5-inch pieces.

    Step 4: Whisk salt, sugar, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and finely minced garlic with rice vinegar to make the dressing.

    whisk all ingredients for the dressing

    Step 5: Pour the dressing over the smashed cucumbers and toss to combine.

    Mix the smashed cucumbers with the dressing

    Step 6: Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds, drizzle a little chili oil, and garnish with fresh coriander.

    Final step: serve!

    Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

    CRUSHED CUCUMBER SALAD VARIATIONS

    • The chili oil is wholly optional, and the smashed cucumbers are delicious without it. But if you want to make the cucumber salad spicy, oomph it up with store-bought or homemade chili oil.
    • A fresh salad should be full of contrasts: rich and acidic, crunchy and creamy. So, another variation to try is adding crushed peanuts to give this Asian cucumber salad a solid crunch.
    • Or you could use the green part of green onions. Add whatever is handy, or leave them completely out. Additional ingredients are completely optional.
    • Some smashed cucumber salad recipes use grated ginger. I chose not to, but don’t let that stop you.
    • The light soy sauce and the quantities of the other ingredients are to my taste. I suggest tasting the dressing before you toss it with the smashed cucumbers. Pander to your palate; increase or decrease any of the ingredients, if needed.
    Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

    SMASHED CUCUMBER SALAD NOTES

    I used tiny English cucumbers for this recipe for cucumber salad. They were crisp and not too watery. Plus, we ate the smashed cucumbers immediately. So, I didn’t have to salt the fruit (yes, cucumbers are technically fruits) in advance.

    WHY YOU MIGHT NEED TO SALT CUCUMBERS?

    Some cucumbers are full of moisture. If you don’t salt them, the water will pool in your salad bowl and turn them from crisp to soggy. So, if your cucumbers are watery, then I recommend tossing them with salt and letting them rest for a while. Squeeze the extra water, and then use the smashed cucumbers to make the salad.

    WHAT CAN YOU USE TO SMASH THE CUCUMBERS?

    A big knife and your hand will do a wonderful job of splitting open the cucumbers. You can also use a pestle, a rolling pin, or a meat mallet. The idea is to just smash and not beat it so hard that pieces pulverize.

    HOW TO SERVE AN ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPE?

    Cucumber salads are a particularly tasty accompaniment to all Asian meals, from a hot, steaming portion of fried rice or stir-fry to a bowl of kung pao cauliflower or spicy Thai peanut noodles.

    But I’ve found that you can have smashed cucumber salad all by itself lonesome too, and it becomes the kind of meal that turns the dinner table into a spectacle of silence with only cutlery clinks in the air.

    CAN YOU SERVE LEFTOVER CUCUMBER SALADS?

    You’d think that cucumbers would get soggy and turn into mush, but surprisingly, they don’t. So, yes, you can serve leftover smashed cucumber salad. The shape holds, and the flavor intensifies.

    Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

    RECIPES FOR HEALTHY SALADS

    Apple Walnut Salad

    Caprese Salad Skewers

    Corn Bean Avocado Salad

    Apricot & Date Pasta Salad

    Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad

    Warm Black Rice Broccoli Pumpkin Salad

    Half the joy of cooking is sharing it with others, which is why I’m always eager to hear from you. So go right ahead and drop a comment or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love this smashed cucumber salad as much as we do!

    Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad
    Print Recipe

    Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

    Crunchy, crispy, and with the cleanest flavor, Asian Cucumber Salad is the best cucumber salad to have for lunch, dinner, or any time of the day as a snack. You just can’t mess up this fresh salad because, besides smashed cucumbers, it asks for so few ingredients!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Course: Salad
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories:
    Author: Natasha Minocha

    Ingredients

    • 2 Cucumbers I used small English cucumbers

    Dressing

    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 2 tsp Sugar
    • 2 tsp Light soy sauce
    • 2 tsp Sesame oil
    • 1 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
    • 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced

    Garnish

    • Fresh cilantro, Crushed peanuts, Toasted sesame seeds, Chilli oil Optional

    Instructions

    • Place a cucumber on the chopping board. Use the flat part of a large knife to smash it.
    • It should just burst open. Now cut it lengthways and then into 4-5 pieces. Place in a bowl.

    Dressing

    • Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until the sugar dissolves.
      Taste and adjust for seasoning.
    • Pour over the cucumbers and mix well.
    • Garnish with fresh cilantro, peanuts, toasted sesame, and chili oil.
    • Serve and enjoy!
    « Korean Pickled Radish - Quick and Easy!
    The Best French Toast Casserole Recipe »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    New-Cover-4-1024x934

    Hi, I'm Natasha Minocha! Welcome to Tasha’s Artisan Foods!

    More about me →

    Trending

    • Orange Basque Cheesecake
    • Candied Orange Slices Recipe
    • Strawberry Banana Muffins
    • The Best French Toast Casserole Recipe
    Get exclusive recipes, tips and more!

    Youtube

    SUBSCRIBE TO YOUTUBE

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    Tasha’s Artisan Foods

    GET NEW RECIPES IN YOUR INBOX

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    BROWSE RECIPES

    Desserts
    Snacks
    Breads
    Cakes
    Appetizers
    Baking Guides

    Published with WordPress

    PRIVACY POLICY

    COPYRIGHT © 2022 TASHA'S ARTISAN FOODS