How To Make Chinese Garlic Cucumber Salad (Pickles) l Sichuan Style Smashed Cucumber Salad Recipe

With the winter months over, I thought it’d be nice to share this smashed cucumber salad which is one of my favourite recipes to fight the summer heat. This Chinese garlic cucumber salad is tangy, nutty and refreshing, and is a great way to cool yourself down from the weather (or from spicy food which is why this is popular in Sichuan cuisine where mala spicy food is popular).

So you may be asking, why are we smashing our cucumbers? As covered in the video, smashing our cucumbers creates craggy pockets and gaps for the cucumbers to absorb more sauce (which means that the cucumbers can pick up more flavours). To further enhance this dish, we will give the cucumbers a light pickling to draw out the excess moisture which would have otherwise diluted the sauces that we will add to the dish. This Chinese style pickled cucumber recipe has been a hit with my friends and family for years, so learn how to make it today and you’ll be addicted for life!

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How To Make Smashed Cucumber Salad At Home

You will need:

0.5lb (or 225g) large cucumbers
0.5 tsp sugar
0.5 tsp salt
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp scallions, finely chopped
1 fresh chilli
1 tbsp black vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp coriander

Steps:

1) Chill your cucumbers in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Once your cucumbers are sufficiently chilled, take them out of the fridge and wrap them with cling wrap (or some kitchen towels to avoid waste).
2) With the back of your blade or a blunt heavy object (like a frying pan), give the cucumbers a few good firm smacks to crush them. This increases the surface area to volume ratio which will help pickle the cucumbers faster and help the cucumbers absorb the sauce better later on.
3) Now slice the smashed cucumbers into bite sized pieces and place them over a colander and a bowl.
4) Sprinkle your salt and sugar evenly over the cucumbers and good it a good mix. Place the cucumbers into your fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the cucumbers to pickle.
5) After 30 minutes, you will see the excess moisture in the cucumbers drawn out from the cucumbers. Discard the excess liquid (this would have otherwise diluted your sauce).
6) Place the cucumbers in a bowl and add the minced garlic, scallions and chilli flakes.
7) Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil and pour it over the minced garlic, scallions and chilli flakes.
8) Add your black vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds.
9) Toss well and allow to marinate for another 30 minutes before serving.

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[charlenetambong]

I like how you explained the difference between cutting and smashing the cucumber. Nice one!

[gigidelavida]

I LOVE THE WAY YOU SPEAK SOFT AND CLEAR VOICE WE CAN EASILY KEEP POSTING NEW RECIPES PLEASE

[brienneofthrace]

I used to eat this all the time while living in Beijing. This brings back memories. Thank you

[orangedragos]

i tried at least 15 recepies of cucumber salad but yours is the best man!

[luciazitha]

I really love this salad, it's crunchy and the taste is amazing. Always get it from a Chinese restaurant 😋

[humblednature]

I lived in China fpr 5 years and one think I definitely miss is the food!!

[Im-hzso]

Love the recipes, thank you for shared

[denthy]

Yummy recipe and fun experiment all in

[paulwhite]

Working on a farm in jilin.
Cucumbers in the well to keep kool.
Auntie from chengdu.
Hates the winter...
Ma la tang
Da ma jiang!
China close in heart!
Forever!

[mayakapra]

You have amazing voice over...so relaxing...try to make your cucumber salad.. thanks for sharing.

[UniverseConfusion]

The perfect dish to try now that i have some fresh cucumbers from my garden! thank you so much for sharing this recipe <3

[emmaninakarina]

Tried it! It's unreal!! Thank you for this video! So tasty!

[barbaracarter]

You are brilliant. Can’t wait to try this dish. Much respect from California.

[arrianeshainegarcia]

Thank you for this video. ❤
I really love this cucumber salad,
I always order this in the Chinese restaurant. 😊

[totoys]

I have been living in China for almost 4 years now…this is one of my favorite side dishes and I got to learn how to make it just now haha…😅

[SuccessforLifester]

Reminded me of Achar . It also has pineapples and seasme

[fillielie]

Always order this side dish when visit our favourite chinese restaurant! I can try at home now! Thanks for the recipe

[vonplatschi]

I watched now 3 other videos and this seems the best. I will absolutely try it.

[tedteocookingshow]

How To Make Smashed Cucumber Salad At Home

You will need:
1lb (450g) large cucumbers
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tbsp scallions, finely chopped
2 tbsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp black vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Steps:
1) Chill your cucumbers in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Once your cucumbers are sufficiently chilled, take them out of the fridge and wrap them with cling wrap.
2) With the back of your blade or a blunt heavy object (like a frying pan), give the cucumbers a few good firm smacks to crush them. This increases the surface area to volume ratio which will help pickle the cucumbers faster and help the cucumbers absorb the sauce better later on.
3) Now slice the smashed cucumbers into bite sized pieces and place them over a colander and a bowl.
4) Sprinkle your salt and sugar evenly over the cucumbers and good it a good mix. Place the cucumbers into your fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the cucumbers to pickle.
5) After 30 minutes, you will see the excess moisture in the cucumbers drawn out from the cucumbers. Discuss the excess liquid (this would have otherwise diluted your sauce).
6) Place the cucumbers in a bowl and add the minced garlic, scallions and chilli flakes.
7) Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil and pour it over the minced garlic, scallions and chilli flakes.
8) Add the black vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds.
9) Toss well and allow to marinate for another 30 minutes before serving.

[cieprutndaslanky]

i try this recipes and the taste is incredible