Agile Test Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Fish
  • Plants
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures
Smashed Cucumber pinterest image
Labeled ingredients for chinese smashed cucumber salad on a white background
Chinese smashed cucumbers with cilantro in a glass serving dish on a white background
smashed cucumber salad with chinese black vinegar
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Fish
  • Plants
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures
Smashed Cucumber pinterest image
Labeled ingredients for chinese smashed cucumber salad on a white background
Chinese smashed cucumbers with cilantro in a glass serving dish on a white background
smashed cucumber salad with chinese black vinegar
×
  • crab roll on a white plate with a red striped towel in the background
    How to Make the Best Crab Roll (with minimal mayo)
  • Collage of 4 crab meat recipes
    17 Inspiring Crabmeat Recipes (to make with fresh lump crab)
  • Dungeness crabmeat pasta in a silver skillet
    Quick & Easy Crabmeat Pasta with White Wine Garlic Sauce
  • a white cup and teapot holding lemongrass tea with fresh cut stalks of lemongrass in the background
    How to make Fresh Lemongrass Tea (no sugar recipe)
  • Calamari Puttanesca (15 minute meal)
  • 4 salmon collars with different toppings on a rectangular black plate with parsley garnish and lemon wedges
    Fun Baked Salmon Collars (oven or air fryer)
  • Two whole baked trout on a white oval plate with roasted fennel and meyer lemon sauce
    Oven Baked Trout with Fennel and Zingy Lemon Sauce
  • baked sockeye salmon in foil with green onion slices and teriyaki glaze on top
    Easy Baked Sockeye Salmon in Foil (Teriyaki-ish)
  • korean sardines on a gray rectangular plate
    15 Minute Korean Sardines (with canned fish)
  • Baked haddock on a white plate with lemon and potatoes
    What to Serve with Baked Haddock (14 American Sides)
  • Kale and spinach salad with apple cider vinaigrette in a wooden bowl
    Kale and Baby Spinach Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
  • Butternut squash apple soup in a gray bowl with coconut milk, pumpkin seeds, and fresh thyme garnish
    The Best Butternut Squash Apple Soup (vegan)
Home » Asian Side Dish Recipes

Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad (vegan)

Published: Oct 16, 2018 · Updated: Mar 11, 2025 · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe
Smashed Cucumber pinterest image
Labeled ingredients for chinese smashed cucumber salad on a white background
Chinese smashed cucumbers with cilantro in a glass serving dish on a white background
smashed cucumber salad with chinese black vinegar

Smashing garlic cloves to release the peel is a well worn cook's technique to relieve aggression.  The same technique can also be applied to cucumbers for this classic Chinese side dish for smashed cucumbers. It's much easier than slicing cucumbers and creates more surface area for the sauce.

Chinese smashed cucumbers with cilantro in a glass serving dish on a white background

These cooling cucumbers would go well with a Chinese oven steamed fish, Chinese broccoli spears, or a silky mabo tofu.

They would also serve as a surprising flavor and textural contrast with blackened tuna steaks.

Jump to:
  • Recipe Highlights
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Variations
  • Storage
  • Top Tips
  • Related Side Dishes
  • Other Plant Based dishes
  • Recipe

Recipe Highlights

There are just about a million versions of cucumber salad. This recipe is based on one I learned to make while traveling in Beijing.

  • No Oil - Just vinegar and salt gives these cucumbers a sweet/sour flavor.
  • Balsamic Vinegar - The Chinese use a black vinegar called Chianking vinegar. It is lighter and less sweet than balsamic vinegar but a bit harder to find.
    • The balsamic vinegar adds sweetness, so you don't have to add sugar to the recipe.
  • Smashing Technique - This unique method I believe developed due to the traditional use of a cleaver in a Chinese kitchen that renders the blade into a mallet.
    • Smashing exposes more surface area of the cucumber than slicing.
    • It leaves the cucumbers in puzzle like pieces instead of uniform slices and releases some of the seeds and cooling juice.
  • No Soy Sauce - Because this dish is typically served with strong, spicy foods, this salad does not add soy sauce or chilis.

Ingredients

You'll need just 5 ingredients for this salad.

Labeled ingredients for chinese smashed cucumber salad on a white background
  • Thin Cucumbers - I like the long, thin Japanese cucumbers best for this dish, but they can be hard to find.
    • Pictured are Persian cucumbers which are short and thin but plenty crunchy.
    • Substitute with a long thin English cucumber.
  • Balsamic Vinegar - Substitute with Chinese Chinkiang black vinegar or rice vinegar is really nice. Otherwise, use the vinegar of your choice.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

The smashing can be done ahead of time.

8 Persian cucumbers with the ends cut off on a wooden cutting board
  1. Step 1: Trim off the stem end of each cucumber.
smashed cucumbers on a wooden cutting board with the blade of a santoku knife
  1. Step 2: Place the cucumber horizontally on a cutting board. Pound once or twice with the blade of a knife until the cucumber is crushed and bursts open. Beware, there may be some flying cucumber parts that go off the cutting board.
smashed cucumbers on a wooden cutting board
  1. Step 3: Chop the smashed cucumbers into 2 - 3" pieces.
smashed cucumbers in a glass bowl with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar
  1. Step 4: Toss the smashed cucumbers with the salt, pepper, and vinegar. Then garnish with cilantro leaves.

Hint: Some people like to salt the cucumbers first for about 15-30 minutes. This removes extra water and results in a more concetrated cucumber flavor.

Chinese smashed cucumbers with cilantro in a glass serving dish on a white background

Variations

This is a purposefully plain recipe for cucumbers, since it is meant to be eaten with other strongly flavored foods. Try these variations, if you'd prefer more punch:

  • Spicy - Add up to a tablespoon of chili sauce or chopped fresh chilis
  • Soy sauce - Use soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos instead of salt.
  • Sugar - Add up to a teaspoon of sugar for a sweeter cucumber flavor.

For a spicy, sliced cucumber recipe, check out this recipe for Korean cucumber kimchi.

Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad in a glass bowl with a bottle of black vinegar in the background

Storage

Store the cucumber salad for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Top Tips

  1. To avoid flying cucumber splatters, you can put the cucumbers in a plastic bag, and pound over the plastic so they don't fly across the cutting board.
  2. Salt the cucumbers for 15-30 minutes ahead of time to extract excess moisture and deepen the cucumber flavor.
  3. Vary the seasoning by using chilis, hot sauce, soy sauce, and/or sugar.

Related Side Dishes

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

  • A scoop of dark blue butterfly pea flower jasmine rice on a white plate with mint leaves in the background.
    Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Rice (rice cooker or stovetop)
  • Korean broccoli salad on a red plate.
    Easy Korean Broccoli Side Dish (Banchan style salad)
  • black Bowl of marinated asian tomato salad
    Asian Tomato Salad (what the heck is it?)
  • Japanese tofu salad on a round blue plate with seaweed strips, edamame, and sliced green onion
    Quick & Easy Japanese Cold Tofu Salad (vegan)

Other Plant Based dishes

Check out these other plant based recipes:

  • a pile of vegan beans and greens on a white plate
    Vegan Beans and Greens (no cheese needed)
  • Vegan tofu scrambled eggs on a blue plate with wine and deviled eggs in the background
    Vegan Tofu Egg Scramble (with 4 Ingredient Seasoning Blend)
  • Vegan Thai Butternut Squash Curry with Coconut Milk
  • close up photo of vegan green bean casserole on a blue plate 2
    Vegan Green Bean Casserole with Coconut Milk (only 7 ingredients)

Recipe

smashed cucumber salad with chinese black vinegar
Print Recipe
Pin
No ratings yet

Smashed Cucumber Salad (5 ingredients, Chinese inspired)

Smashing garlic cloves to release the peel is a well worn cook's technique to relieve aggression.  The same technique can also be applied to cucumbers for this classic Chinese side dish with just 5 ingredients. It's much easier than slicing cucumbers and creates more surface area for the sauce to stick to.
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Diet Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Lactose
Keyword black vinegar
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Servings 4
Calories 21kcal
Author Agile Test Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Persian cucumbers (this is about 8 each) or Japanese or English cucumbers
  • 1 Tb balsamic vinegar or Chinkiang black vinegar or other vinegar
  • ½ tsp salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper or szechuan pepper
  • 3 Tb cilantro leaves for garnish

Instructions

  • Trim off the stem ends of each cucumber. Lay horizontal on a cutting board and pound with the blade of a knife or mallet. Then chop these long smashed cucumbers into 2 inch pieces.
  • Toss smashed cucumbers with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Taste, and add more salt/pepper as needed.
  • Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

  1. To avoid flying cucumber splatters, you can put the cucumbers in a plastic bag, and pound over the plastic so they don't fly across the cutting board.
  2. Salt the cucumbers for 15-30 minutes ahead of time to extract excess moisture and deepen the cucumber flavor.
  3. Vary the seasoning by using chilis, hot sauce, soy sauce, and/or sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25lb | Calories: 21kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.05g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @agiletestkitchen or tag #agiletestkitchen!

Fortune Cookie 🥠

The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions.

Confucius

More Asian Side Dish Recipes

  • Japanese mushroom rice with sliced green onions on top in a gray bowl with a silver spoon
    Japanese Mushroom Rice (Kinoko Gohan)
  • Glass bowl of sliced cucumber kimchi with sesame seed garnish
    Quick, Vegan Cucumber Kimchi (in 30 minutes!)
  • Chinese puff pastry scallion pancake with a bit taken out of it on a round white plate
    Quick Chinese Scallion Pancakes (with puff pastry)
  • Korean seaweed salad on rectangular wooden plate with chopped cucumber and wooden bowl of pink salt in the background.
    Easy Korean Seaweed Salad Recipe #vegan
  • Share
  • Tweet

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Smashed Cucumber pinterest image
Labeled ingredients for chinese smashed cucumber salad on a white background
Chinese smashed cucumbers with cilantro in a glass serving dish on a white background
smashed cucumber salad with chinese black vinegar

Welcome!

I cooked in professional kitchens for 10 years, but at home I can barely get myself to boil water.

More about me

Popular

  • Honey garlic burssel sprouts on a pink round plate
    Honey Garlic Brussel Sprouts (roasted or air fried)
  • Collage of 4 Thanksgiving seafood recipes
    17 Thanksgiving Seafood Ideas to Add to Your Holiday Menu
  • Pan seared sockeye salmon filet on a white oval plate with brussel sprouts
    Quick Pan Seared Sockeye Salmon (with a savory rub)
  • 2 biscoff smore sandwiches on a gray plate
    Air Fryer S'mores (with vegan option)

Seasonal

  • multiple gilda appetizers on a white rectangular plate
    Gilda Appetizer (a salty, sultry, spicy skewer)
  • 18 Butterfly Pea Flower Recipes (with sweet & savory inspiration)
  • Mashed purple potatoes with a pool of coconut milk gravy on top.
    17 Purple Sweet Potato Recipes (savory & sweet)
  • Filet of furikake salmon on a gray plate with brown rice, bok choy, and a fork with pieces of salmon in front of it.
    Very Easy Baked Furikake Salmon (with or without mayo)

Footer

Smashed Cucumber pinterest image
Labeled ingredients for chinese smashed cucumber salad on a white background
Chinese smashed cucumbers with cilantro in a glass serving dish on a white background
smashed cucumber salad with chinese black vinegar
↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • About

Copyright © 2025 Agile Test Kitchen

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required