Smashed cucumber, 2 ways
Why slicing cucumber if you can smash them
Welcome to Chill Crisp, my internet corner of thoughts about food and recipes with context. Mostly Chinese food I’ve been eating my whole life and new flavors inspired by travel, research and a splash of creativity.
(scroll down for the recipe and watch the video here!)
I noticed that smashed cucumber was everywhere, the second I sat down at a newly opened noodle restaurant in Berlin and saw it again. It's slowly, if not already, taken over the Asian cooking corner on social media, and in real life.
I’m all for this hype, though I wanted to figure out what’s the story behind it. It turns out, audience gasp, there’s not much: Even my searches on Chinese websites and books yielded little information, with many articles eventually leading me to a NYT piece about its popularity in the United States.
Smashed cucumber (pai huang gua, 拍黄瓜) is seen more as a casual home-style food than textbook Chinese dishes like Mapo Tofu. The earliest reference I found dates back to a book called "Notes on Vegetarian Eating" (素食说略) written around the 1900s: "Smash the tender cucumber smaller and dress it with soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Alternatively, toss it with gluten puffs and tofu, both beautifully crunchy…"
Another mention comes from a book called “闾巷话蔬食” about food culture in the Beijing area from Li Chun Fang, validating its popularity in Nothern China. In a book I read years ago, the author recounted serving time with a legendary chef who revealed the secret to his cucumber dish: smashing them with a wooden board instead of a knife to avoid imparting a metallic taste. More of an urban legend than a proven food trick.
Some chefs believe this dish evolved from the coir raincoat cucumber salad (suo yi huang gua, 蓑衣黄瓜) in the last few decades, created to save time and cater to busy white-collar workers in CBD areas. Nowadays, smashed cucumber is often found in small noodle or dumpling eateries rather than fancy banquets and has become one of the most beloved drinking snacks (xia jiu can, 下酒菜).
A skilled chef can finish this in under one minute (my record is 2-3 minutes) The smashing process breaks down the fibers and creates cracks for the sauce to cling to. Common dressing options include a spicy and sour garlic sauce (likely inspired by the garlicky cucumber salad in Sichuan cuisine) or a Northern-style sesame dressing.
Notes on Preparation
You can use anything heavy for smashing, but the best tools are a heavy cleaver, rolling pin, or meat tenderizer. To avoid seeds and juice from flying around, place the cucumber in a plastic bag or under plastic wrap.
Cliche to say so, smashing cucumber is like Chinese kungfu, it’s about being tactic rather than violent. Dropping the knife from about 10 cm above with determination. Ideally, the inside of the cucumber should be crushed but the outside.
Persian cucumbers (known as Minigurken in German) are ideal due to their thinner skin. If you happen to find very fresh, locally grown cucumbers, they'll work excellently. I had a hard time smashing some sturdy English cucumbers.
Chinese cucumbers with thinner skin and spikes, filmed in a market in Chengdu While salting the cucumber isn't mandatory if you're short on time, it's recommended for seasoning. Some Chinese recipes recommend marinating the cucumber in sugar instead. I experimented with three different methods: a) salt, b) salted water, and c) sugar. I still prefer the original option with salt, but if your cucumber isn't fresh and starts to taste bitter, using sugar can help eliminate that bitterness.
top: salt; left: salted water; right: sugar
The Recipe
1 large cucumber or 3 Persian cucumbers (350g)
1/2 tsp salt
⠀Spicy and Sour Sauce
1-2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp dark rice vinegar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1-2 tbsp chili oil
1/2 tbsp sugar
fresh herbs (such as cilantro)
1 tsp sesame oil
⠀Spicy Sesame Sauce
1 tbsp sesame paste
1.5 tbsp chili oil
1/2 tbsp sugar
salt
⠀Additional Toppings
roasted peanuts
wood ear mushrooms (mu er, 木耳)
toasted sesame seeds
⠀Instructions
Use a heavy cleaver to smash the cucumber. Remove the seeds and cut it diagonally into approximately 3 cm pieces. Place it in a large bowl, add salt, and let it sit for about 10 min. then drain.
If you're using wood ear mushrooms, dehydrate them and blanch them in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Add them to the cucumber.
Mix the sauce of your choice, then drizzle it over the cucumber. Serve with cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
