Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad

The refreshing side dish at every small local restaurant, noodle shop, and late-night skewer stall.

I remember the feeling back home: sitting on a plastic stool outside a small restaurant, waiting for my lamb skewers to come off the grill. Then a small dish arrives first — cold, garlicky, sesame-fragrant cucumber. I eat the whole thing before the skewers even arrive, then order a second plate because it is so refreshing and goes so well with any meat dish.

Why Smashing Works

This is 拍黄瓜 (pāi huángguā) — literally “smashed cucumber” — one of the great unsung dishes of Chinese street food. This Chinese smashed cucumber salad gets its name from the technique: you smash the cucumber with the flat of a knife or a rolling pin before cutting it. This is not just theatrical. Smashing creates jagged, irregular surfaces that grip the dressing far better than a clean slice ever could.

A Popular Side Dish at Every Local Restaurant

This Chinese smashed cucumber salad is crisp, aromatic, refreshing, and incredibly easy to make. It is the kind of dish that shows up everywhere in China — from humble local restaurants to casual noodle shops and street-side skewer stalls. Served cold and packed with garlic, sesame oil, and vinegar, it is the perfect side dish for grilled meats, noodles, dumplings, or rice.

If you are looking for an easy Chinese cucumber salad recipe with bold flavor and simple ingredients, this is it.

Ingredients

• 2 English cucumbers
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 2 tsp sugar
• ¼ + ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp MSG
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Optional

• ½ tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp chili oil
• 2 sprigs cilantro, roughly torn

How to Make Chinese Smashed Cucumber

1. Wash the cucumbers. Cut each one in half lengthwise, then lay flat and smash firmly with the side of your knife or a rolling pin — you want them to crack open and split. Cut in half again lengthwise, then cut on the diagonal into rough 1-inch pieces.

2. In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients — garlic, sugar, salt, MSG, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil — and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve.

3. Drizzle the dressing on cucumber, add sesame seeds, and cilantro if using. Toss very gently with the cucumbers and serve immediately. Add chili oil if you prefer.
This is a dish that wants to be eaten the moment it is dressed. You may still enjoy it after it sits for a while, but the cucumber will release some liquid and the flavor will become slightly lighter, though still very tasty.

The seeds question

Restaurants sometimes cut out the cucumber seeds before smashing to keep the dish from watering out and to let the flavors concentrate. But I find it is not necessary to do it at home. The salad is usually eaten immediately, and the extra moisture is actually refreshing in the summer heat. Your call.

Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad

The viral Chinese smashed cucumber salad — garlicky, sesame-fragrant, and ready in 5 minutes. A street-food classic you'll make on repeat.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:5 minutes mins

Cook Time:5 minutes mins

Servings: 2 -3 people

Ingredients

• 2 English cucumbers
• 6 cloves garlic minced or crushed
• 2 tsp sugar
• ½ + ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp MSG
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Optional

• ½ tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp chili oil
• 2 sprigs cilantro roughly torn

Instructions

• Wash the cucumbers. Cut each one in half lengthwise, then lay flat and smash firmly with the side of your knife or a rolling pin — you want them to crack open and split. Cut in half again lengthwise, then cut on the diagonal into rough 1-inch pieces.
• In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients — garlic, sugar, salt, MSG, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil — and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve.
• Drizzle the dressing on cucumber, add sesame seeds, and cilantro if using. Toss very gently with the cucumbers and serve immediately. Add chili oil if you prefer.
• This is a dish that wants to be eaten the moment it is dressed. You may still enjoy it after it sits for a while, but the cucumber will release some liquid and the flavor will become slightly lighter, though still very tasty.

Notes

Remove cucumber seeds?

Restaurants sometimes cut out the cucumber seeds before smashing to keep the dish from watering out and to let the flavors concentrate. But I find it is not necessary to do it at home. The salad is usually eaten immediately, and the extra moisture is actually refreshing in the summer heat.