Simple Smashed Cucumber Salad
This recipe from our friends at Joyful Family Cooking is fresh and fun for the whole family.
Bright, crisp, and full of umami, this Japanese-inspired salad combines soy, vinegar, sesame, and cilantro with bashed cucumbers for a perfect side dish on your spring table. [Editor’s note: recipe from Joyful Family Cooking, an immersive online cooking program designed to bring families together in the kitchen.]
Ingredients
5 Persian cucumbers
1 clove of garlic
Soy sauce
Sesame oil (or hot sesame oil)
Rice vinegar
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Sesame seeds (for garnish)
Cilantro (for garnish)
Directions
Remove ends of cucumber. Put cucumbers inside plastic bag and roll over bag, or bash, with a rolling pin to crush cucumber. Drain liquid and add salt to the cucumber. Let rest in bag for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, slice any unbroken cucumbers into ½ inch pieces.
Finely mince or press garlic and add to small bowl. Add soy sauce, sesame, rice vinegar, and a pinch of sugar to bowl with garlic. Mix ingredients together.
Add cucumbers to dressing. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds to taste.
