Gingery Smashed Cucumber Salad – Minimalist Baker Recipes

Spoon resting in a bowl of our ginger sesame smashed cucumber salad recipe

Is it simply us or does it look like cucumbers repel any dressing you add to them? Not so quick! After some analysis and testing, we realized that smashing cucumbers helps the flavors stick round. Smashed cucumber salad to the rescue!

This Asian-inspired take is tremendous contemporary, crunchy, savory, slightly spicy, and filled with ginger and sesame taste. Plus, so EASY — simply 10 elements, 1 bowl, and 10 minutes required. Allow us to present you the way it’s completed!

Tamari, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, cucumber, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, green onion, sesame seeds, and rice vinegar

Recipe Inspiration

This smashed cucumber salad is just like pai huang gua, a Chinese language cucumber salad that includes a garlicky sesame-soy-vinegar dressing and chili crisp and/or chili oil topping.

Our impressed model is of course sweetened with maple syrup, swaps the chili oil for chili flakes, and in addition attracts affect from Japanese delicacies with the inclusion of pickled ginger for a candy, tangy addition.

Tips on how to Make Smashed Cucumber Salad

Smashing cucumbers is all about getting the dressing to higher maintain onto the cucumber. And this dressing? You’re undoubtedly going to need it smothering that cucumber. It’s completely balanced because of tangy rice vinegar, fragrant garlic and ginger, savory tamari, nutty toasted sesame oil, candy maple syrup, and spicy purple pepper flakes.

Stirring an Asian-inspired sesame ginger sauce in a bowl

Now, let’s speak about how one can smash that cucumber. After chopping it in half lengthwise, place it on a chopping board and use a rolling pin or heavy skillet to smash, smash, smash. Light is not the reply right here!

Using a rolling pin to smash cucumbers

When it’s trying completely craggy, you’re able to slice it up and toss with the dressing, inexperienced onion, sesame seeds, and pickled ginger.

Hands holding a bowl of sliced cucumbers with chopped pickled ginger and sesame seeds

Welcome to YUM city.

Sprinkling sesame seeds over a smashed cucumber salad

We hope you LOVE this cucumber salad! It’s:

Gingery
Savory
Spicy
Umami
Crunchy
& SO refreshing!

What to Serve with this Smashed Cucumber Salad

It’s a straightforward, versatile aspect that pairs properly with crispy salmon + rice for a easy meal. Or, strive it with any of your favourite Asian-inspired mains. Right here’s some inspo:

Extra Refreshing Cucumber Recipes

In the event you do this recipe, tell us! Go away a remark, fee it, and don’t overlook to tag a photograph @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, pals!

Small plate of smashed cucumber salad topped with sesame seeds

Prep Time 10 minutes

Whole Time 10 minutes

Servings 4 (Servings)

Course Facet

Delicacies Asian-Impressed, Chinese language-Impressed, Gluten-Free, Japanese-Impressed, Vegan

Freezer Pleasant No

Does it hold? Finest when contemporary

  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1 Tbsp grated contemporary ginger
  • 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned // guarantee gluten-free as wanted)
  • 2 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce // guarantee gluten-free as wanted)
  • 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/2-1 tsp purple pepper flakes, to style
  • 2 giant English cucumbers (2 giant cucumber yield ~6 cups or 775 g)
  • 3 stalks inexperienced onion, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2-3 Tbsp chopped pickled ginger (non-compulsory, however extremely beneficial)
  • In a medium serving bowl, whisk collectively the garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, maple syrup, and purple pepper flakes. Put aside.

  • Trim the ends of your cucumbers, then reduce every cucumber in half lengthwise. Place the cucumbers reduce aspect down in your chopping board, then use a rolling pin or heavy skillet to smash every half till it splits open. Actually go for it! They need to look craggy. After smashing, reduce every cucumber into 1/2-inch to 1-inch slices and add to the bowl along with your dressing.

  • Add the inexperienced onion, sesame seeds, and chopped pickled ginger (non-compulsory) and toss to coat.

  • Serve instantly or make as much as an hour forward and hold it refrigerated. It’s finest loved chilly. Not freezer pleasant.

*Diet data is a tough estimate calculated with out non-compulsory elements.

Serving: 1 serving Energy: 100 Carbohydrates: 9.5 g Protein: 3.2 g Fats: 6.5 g Saturated Fats: 1 g Polyunsaturated Fats: 1.3 g Monounsaturated Fats: 1.2 g Trans Fats: 0 g Ldl cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 511 mg Potassium: 301 mg Fiber: 2.6 g Sugar: 4.1 g Vitamin A: 78 IU Vitamin C: 5.8 mg Calcium: 38 mg Iron: 1 mg


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