Chili Crisp Cucumbers
Smash, salt, and dress cucumbers with chili crisp. A five-minute side for rice and noodle nights.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Serves
- 2–4 as a side
- Difficulty
- easy
A chili-crisp-forward take on Chinese smashed cucumber (拍黄瓜), compiled from common home methods. Salt and drain if you have ten extra minutes.
This is the cucumber side that uses the jar already open on the counter. Smash the cucumbers so the dressing can settle into the cracks, salt them so they stay crunchy, then toss with chili crisp, vinegar, and a little soy.
It sits next to rice, scallion oil noodles, or leftover takeout. If you want a milder, sesame-led bowl instead, use the sesame cucumber salad.
Ingredients
- 1–1½ lb English or Persian cucumbers (about 2 English, or 6–8 Persian)
- 1 tsp kosher salt, for draining
- 1–2 Tbsp chili crisp, plus more to taste
- 1 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1–2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½–1 tsp sugar
- 1–2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced (optional)
Method
- 1Trim the cucumber ends. On a cutting board, lay the flat of a chef’s knife or a rolling pin over each cucumber and press firmly until the flesh cracks open along its length.
- 2Cut or tear into bite-size pieces. Toss with the salt in a colander and let drain 10–20 minutes. Shake off liquid. Rinse briefly only if they taste too salty, then pat dry.
- 3Toss with vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and garlic if using until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 tablespoon chili crisp first, toss hard so the dressing reaches the broken surfaces, then add more chili crisp to taste. Fold in scallion if using.
- 4Serve right away while the cucumbers are cold and loud.
Notes
Useful details
- Skip the salt-and-drain step only if you are truly in a rush. Add a smaller pinch of salt to the dressing instead, and eat immediately.
- English and Persian cucumbers need less seeding. Thick seedy garden cucumbers can be halved and scooped first.
- Chili crisp brands vary a lot in salt and chile heat. Starting with 1 Tbsp avoids oversalting; you can always add more.
- Black vinegar gives more depth; rice vinegar stays brighter. Either works.