Crispy Smashed Cucumber Salad with Sesame Dressing

A heavy tool and a 20-minute rest turn ordinary vegetables into a fast side dish. This Crispy Smashed Cucumber Salad with Sesame Dressing works because striking the cucumbers cracks their skins open. The broken surfaces absorb the toasted sesame oil and rice vinegar much better than a clean knife cut.

Choosing cucumbers

You need 1 lb (500 g) of cucumbers for this dish. You can use long cucumbers or standard medium cucumbers. Two long cucumbers can replace three medium standard cucumbers. Long cucumbers contain less water than standard varieties. Less water means a crunchier texture in the final dish.

Cracking the skins

Place the whole cucumbers on a cutting board. Strike them with a heavy tool. Stop the moment the skins crack and the sides split open.

You want the vegetables to stay largely intact. Do not bash them too hard. Heavy repeated hits turn the flesh to mush rather than simply splitting it. The rough, jagged edges allow the dressing to penetrate the flesh.

Cutting the pieces

Cut the cracked cucumbers into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks. Place the pieces in a large mixing bowl. The split edges help the chunks hold onto the liquids.

Drawing out moisture

Sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon of salt over the cut pieces. Toss the cucumbers well so the salt coats every single piece. Leave the bowl on the counter for 20 minutes.

The salt pulls excess water out of the cucumber flesh. This resting period stops the vegetables from weeping later. You will notice a pool of watery juice at the bottom of the bowl after the rest. Pour off all of this liquid before you do anything else.

If you do not drain the excess liquid, you will get a watery dish and a diluted dressing. Much of the salt used for drawing out the moisture washes away when you discard the juice.

Mixing the Sesame Dressing

Combine 1.5 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil, 1.5 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in a small jar. Shake or stir the liquid until the sugar dissolves and the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

The recipe calls for toasted sesame oil. This dark oil provides a stronger flavor than the untoasted yellow variety. The toasted version gives the dressing its distinct taste.

Adjusting the ingredients

The finished dish uses 1/4 cup of sliced green onions and 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped coriander. You can change these additions based on what you have in the kitchen.

• Chives, shallots, or thinly cut red onion will work as a replacement for the green onions.
• Coriander is entirely optional. You can skip it if you prefer.

What to serve with the salad

The cooling nature of the cucumbers pairs well with spicy foods. This salad complements Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes. Keep the drained vegetables and the mixed dressing separate until it is time to eat.

Tossing and serving

Pour the Sesame Dressing over the vegetables immediately before serving. Scatter the coriander and green onions on top of the chunks. Toss the salad gently to coat every piece. The cracked surfaces will grab the dressing as you mix it. Take the bowl straight to the table.