Another classic from my Beijing years, “Smacked Cucumber” (a delicious and flavourful cucumber salad), can now be found in Chinese restaurants all over the UK. Thank heavens, because it is one of my favourite cold dishes. The ongoing lockdown should not be an obstacle to enjoying this – it is simple to make at home.
In Chinese cuisine, cold dishes are an important part of a meal. Served first, they help stimulate the appetite. Smacked cucumbers are easy to make and there are several variations – so you can adapt the recipe to suit your own palate.
The unfortunate-sounding name of this dish comes from the method used to divide the cucumber into pieces. Instead of slicing it up, the cucumber is first bashed with a large cleaver until it bursts, then chopped into bite sized chunks.
The “smacking” gives the cucumber pieces ragged edges, which create a larger surface area to carry the savoury sauce. The bruising effect on the cucumber flesh also makes it more permeable – so the flavour goes deeper into each piece. Oh, and whacking cucumbers is really fun and quite good for channelling frustration. Use a rolling pin if you don’t have a cleaver.
One classic dressing for smacked cucumbers is soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and perhaps a hit of chilli oil for colour and heat. Sometimes a little chopped garlic is added, sometimes a pinch of ground Sichuan pepper.
I remember eating a version of this dish in Beijing, which clattered my palate with flavour. The sauce was creamy with sesame paste and the individual pieces of cucumber were scattered with so much chopped garlic, it looked like dandruff on multiple, tiny, green scalps. There wasn’t any vinegar in this recipe – the bitter cucumber and garlic provided enough of a bite to cut through the richer sauce. There was, however, plenty of chilli oil and a good, salty lick of soy sauce. It was just wonderful.
So, in honour of this more unusual version, I bring you the recipe. Swap the sesame paste for oil and add 1 tbsp rice vinegar if you fancy a lighter salad. Add 1/2 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns if you want to give your palate a full work out.
“Smack My Q Up” Salad
1 cucumber
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp sesame paste (tahini) – exchange for 1 tbsp sesame oil, if you want a lighter version
1 tbsp chilli oil (I use the oil from my trusty Laoganma)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil (leave out if swapping the paste for sesame oil)
1 tsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar (optional)
Table salt.
Using a peeler, remove strips of peel from the cucumber lengthways, leaving stripes of green.
Take a large cleaver and with the blade facing away from you, use the flat side to bash the cucumber up and down its length until it bursts. You can also whack it with a rolling pin to achieve the same effect. Cut the ends off the cucumber and discard.
Chop the rest of the cucumber into pieces about an inch in size. If you can make them diamond shaped – all the better. I’ve seen recipes where the seeds are removed -but I don’t think that is necessary – I like the flavour the seeds bring.
Place the cucumbers into a sieve and set over an empty bowl. Sprinkle them with table salt – to help “cook” them and leave for 15 minutes, to draw out some liquid.
In a large bowl mix all the dressing ingredients together. This might take a bit of stirring, as the sesame paste can be quite stiff.
Once the cucumbers have had their 15 minutes -rinse off the salt and pat them dry. Put them carefully into the sauce and stir until they are coated. Put onto a serving dish and sprinkle with the chopped garlic.
hongkonggourmet 