Chinese Cucumber Salad

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Smashed Cucumber Salad (拍黄瓜, pai huang gua) is a light and refreshing appetizer. The crisp cucumber is mixed with plenty of garlic, drizzled with an appetizing blend of soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, then finished with a few drops of sesame oil. The sauce is light, yet it has a distinct sour flavor with a hint of sweetness, enhanced by the strong aroma of garlic.

10 minutes

2-4 portions as side dish

Ingredients

Wontons

  • 1 English cucumbers (about 11 oz./300 g) , tough skin removed
  • 3 cloves garlic , crushed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (or rice vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons Homemade chili oil (or store-bought chili oil), or to taste (Optional)
  • 1 tablespoon Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp , or to taste (Optional)

Instructions

To Make Wontons

  1. Dry the cucumber with a paper towel. Place the cucumber on a large cutting board and carefully use a cleaver to crush it. If you don't own a cleaver, a meat pounder will work as well. Then cut it into bite-size pieces and place them into a bowl.
  2. Add the garlic on top of the cucumber.
  3. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt and sesame oil in a small bowl and mix well.
  4. Right before serving, pour the sauce mixture over the cucumber and mix well. (Do not add the sauce beforehand. It will cause the cucumber to lose water, and the sauce will be diluted.
  5. (Optional) To give the salad an extra kick, you can drizzle some chili oil or add a spoonful of chili crisp. It makes the dish addictively good.