Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad with Chili Crisp 🥒✨

Description

Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad with Chili Crisp is crisp, juicy, garlicky, and beautifully aromatic, with chilled cucumber, black vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and a glossy spoonful of chili crisp. It is simple but never plain, with strong search appeal, bold visual contrast, and that refreshing restaurant-style bite that makes it perfect for a premium Chinese salad category. ✨

Hook ✨

Cold smashed cucumber, sharp black vinegar, fragrant garlic, and crunchy chili crisp make this Chinese salad bright, punchy, and addictive from the first bite. 🥒

Ingredients

• Cucumber base 🥒
• 🥒 600 g Persian cucumbers or small cucumbers (1.3 lb)
• 🧂 5 g fine salt (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🧊 300 g ice cubes, for chilling (2 cups / 10.6 oz)
• Dressing 🥢
• 🧄 12 g garlic, finely grated (3 cloves / 0.42 oz)
• 🥢 30 ml light soy sauce (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🍶 25 ml Chinkiang black vinegar (1 tbsp + 2 tsp / 0.85 fl oz)
• 🌰 10 ml toasted sesame oil (2 tsp / 0.34 fl oz)
• 🍬 6 g sugar (1½ tsp / 0.2 oz)
• 🌶️ 25 g chili crisp (2 tbsp / 0.9 oz)
• ⚪ 2 g white pepper (½ tsp / 0.07 oz)
• For finishing ✨
• 🧅 20 g spring onion, finely sliced (3 tbsp / 0.7 oz)
• 🌿 10 g cilantro, roughly chopped (⅓ cup / 0.35 oz)
• ⚪ 8 g toasted sesame seeds (1 tbsp / 0.28 oz)
• 🌶️ 5 g fresh red chili, thinly sliced, optional (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Smash the cucumbers 🥒
2. Place the cucumbers on a board and gently smash them with the flat side of a knife or rolling pin until cracked but not crushed into mush. Cut into rough bite-size pieces so the dressing can cling to every broken edge. ✨
3. 2️⃣ Salt and chill 🧊
4. Toss the cucumber pieces with the salt and let them sit for 10 min. Drain away the released liquid, then place the cucumbers over ice for 5 min to make them extra crisp and refreshing. 🥒
5. 3️⃣ Mix the dressing 🥢
6. In a bowl, stir together the garlic, soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, chili crisp, and white pepper until glossy and aromatic. Taste the dressing before adding the cucumbers so the balance is sharp, savory, and lightly sweet. 🌶️
7. 4️⃣ Dress the salad ✨
8. Remove the cucumbers from the ice and pat them lightly dry. Add them to the dressing and toss for 1–2 min until every piece is coated in the dark, fragrant sauce. 🥢
9. 5️⃣ Finish fresh 🌿
10. Add the spring onion, cilantro, sesame seeds, and fresh chili if using. Toss gently once more so the herbs stay bright and the sesame remains visible on the cucumber. 🥗
11. 6️⃣ Serve cold 🧊
12. Let the salad rest for 5 min in the fridge, then serve cold in a dark bowl with extra chili crisp spooned over the top for shine, texture, and a stronger visual finish. ✨

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 0 min
🛋 Rest: 15 min
⏰ Total: 30 min

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