This Chinese-style smashed cucumber salad tossed in a sweet and spicy garlicky sauce is one of my favourite Asian side dishes.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
After watching a few trending reels on Instagram , I got fascinated by this smashed cucumber salad. It is one of the tastiest and easiest cucumber salad recipes.
This Chinese salad is also known as liang ban huang gua or the cool tossed cucumber salad.
It is the real outburst of flavours in each bite.
Why You’ll Love This Salad
- gluten-free
- a vegan salad
- easy to make
- one bowl salad recipe
I am sharing my version of the smashed cucumber salad. It might not be authentic, but it sure tastes delicious.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cucumber: Use English, Japanese, or Persian Cucumbers for this salad recipe. I would not recommend using Indian cucumbers.
- For Sauce: Garlic, Red Chilli Flakes, Red Chilli Powder, Light Soy Sauce, Rice Vinegar or Chinese Vinegar, Sesame Oil, Brown Sugar, Salt
- Toppings: Spring Onion Greens, Cilantro, Roasted Sesame Seeds
How To Make Salad
Chilli Oil For Salad
You can either use my homemade chilli oil recipe , prepare a big batch and store it in refrigerator. Or you can make from scratch in smaller quantity only for this cucumber salad recipe.
- Combine chilli flakes, garlic, and chilli powder in a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat sesame oil over medium heat in a small pan. Once the oil is hot, pour it over the chilli flakes and garlic. Mix nicely.
Prepare Cucumbers
- Wash cucumbers with water and salt. Wipe with a kitchen towel.
- Place them on a chopping board. Smack and smash the cucumbers using a big knife until the cucumbers start to split. Continue doing this along the length of the cucumber.
- Finally, slice the cucumber diagonally ( image 1 ). Transfer them to a bowl.
- Season them with salt ( image 2 ). Mix. Set aside 15 minutes to draw out the excess water and avoid watery salad.
Assemble Salad
- Discard all the excess liquid released by the cucumbers ( image 3 ).
- Add chilli oil, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar to the cucumbers. Mix nicely ( image 4 ).
- Add chopped spring onion greens, cilantro and roasted sesame seeds.
Serve smashed cucumber salad immediately!
Serving Suggestion
Smashed Cucumber Salad tastes delicious with stir fry noodles, Chilli Oil Noodles , or Chicken Pad Thai .
You can serve it with Asian main course dishes like fried rice , Thai Red Chicken Curry , or Kung Pao Chicken .
Trust me, it adds great flavour to your Asian meals or Indo-Chinese dishes .
More Salad Recipes
- Lentil Salad
- Pomelo Salad
- Chickpea Salad
- Crispy Noodle Salad
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Healthy Cabbage Salad
- Roasted Pumpkin Salad
- Tropical Pineapple Salad
Get all my Salad Recipes here and you can watch the videos on Instagram .
Ingredients
- ▢ 250 gram english cucumber
- ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- ▢ ⅛ Cup sesame oil
- ▢ 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ▢ 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped spring onion greens
- ▢ 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine chilli flakes, garlic, and chilli powder in a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat sesame oil over medium heat in a small pan. Once the oil is hot, pour it over the chilli flakes and garlic. Mix nicely. Chilli Oil is ready. You can either store it or use it for salad.
- Wash cucumbers with water and salt. Wipe with a kitchen towel.
- Place them on a chopping board. Smack and smash the cucumbers using a big knife until the cucumbers start to split. Continue doing this along the length of the cucumber.
- Finally, slice the cucumber diagonally. Transfer them to a bowl.
- Season them with salt. Mix. Set aside 15 minutes to draw out the excess water and avoid watery salad.
- Discard all the excess liquid released by the cucumbers.
- Add chilli oil, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar to the cucumbers. Mix nicely
- Add chopped spring onion greens, cilantro and roasted sesame seeds.
- Serve smashed cucumber salad with the main course!
Recipe Notes:
- Use English, Japanese, or Persian Cucumbers for this salad recipe. I would not recommend using Indian cucumbers.
- You can use a butcher knife or a meat pounder to smash the cucumbers.
- If you have readymade or homemade chilli oil , then use it for the salad.
Nutrition
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Smashed Cucumber Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Salad Mixing Bowl
- Small Pan
Ingredients
- 250 gram english cucumber
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- ⅛ Cup sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ Cup chopped spring onion greens
- 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine chilli flakes, garlic, and chilli powder in a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat sesame oil over medium heat in a small pan. Once the oil is hot, pour it over the chilli flakes and garlic. Mix nicely. Chilli Oil is ready. You can either store it or use it for salad.
- Wash cucumbers with water and salt. Wipe with a kitchen towel.
- Place them on a chopping board. Smack and smash the cucumbers using a big knife until the cucumbers start to split. Continue doing this along the length of the cucumber.
- Finally, slice the cucumber diagonally. Transfer them to a bowl.
- Season them with salt. Mix. Set aside 15 minutes to draw out the excess water and avoid watery salad.
- Discard all the excess liquid released by the cucumbers.
- Add chilli oil, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar to the cucumbers. Mix nicely
- Add chopped spring onion greens, cilantro and roasted sesame seeds.
- Serve smashed cucumber salad with the main course!
Video
Notes
- Use English, Japanese, or Persian Cucumbers for this salad recipe. I would not recommend using Indian cucumbers.
- You can use a butcher knife or a meat pounder to smash the cucumbers.
- If you have readymade or homemade chilli oil , then use it for the salad.
Nutrition
Crispy Lotus Stem is a tasty, sweet, and savoury Asian style side dish, that you are surely going to love. Be sure to watch the video!
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
- What is Lotus Stem?
- Watch Crispy Lotus Stem Video
- Serving Suggestion
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Crispy Lotus Stem Recipe
What is Lotus Stem?
Lotus Root is a plant-based, vegan and gluten-free ingredient. It is widely used in Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese style cooking.
In Hindi, it is known as kamal kakdi, which translates to lotus stem or lotus roots. In India, we make a delicious vegetarian curry with lotus stems .
Crispy Lotus Stem is a popular pan-Asian delicacy. Load it with your favourite vegetables, and you are all set for a delicious stir-fried side dish.
Why You’ll Love It
- easy to customize
- its a plant based, vegan dish
- perfect for parties, or family dinners
Bright and colourful, this crispy lotus root stir fry is simple to make. I have already made it twice this week. And still not getting over it.
Watch Crispy Lotus Stem Video
Serving Suggestion
Crispy Lotus Stem is mainly served as a side dish to accompany a main-course dish, such as garlic noodles , fried rice , or vegetable Manchurian . If you make it slightly saucy, then serve it with plain steamed rice. Or you can serve it as an appetizer or snack for the party.
Absolutely not! You can bake them in the oven at 180 degrees Celcius until the lotus stem turns crisp and crunchy. Or air fry them at 170 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes.
Once you deep-fry the lotus stem, do not discard the leftover cornstarch mixture in the bowl. Add approximately ⅓ cup of water to it and make a smooth paste. Pour this liquid into the pan after adding the sauces and stir to combine. Allow it to simmer before adding the lotus stem. You will get a thick, saucy liquid to enjoy with the crispy lotus stem stir fry.
More Indian Chinese Recipes
- Chilli Paneer
- Chilli Mushroom
- Soya Manchurian
- Honey Chilli Potato
- Chilli Garlic Noodles
- Chinese Chop Suey
- Crispy Chilli Baby Corn
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 medium-size tender lotus roots (kamal kakdi)
- ▢ 1 onion, fine chopped
- ▢ 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ▢ 1 capsicum, diced
- ▢ 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- ▢ 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- ▢ 1 small red chilli, chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chilli sauce
- ▢ 1 teaspoon tomato sauce
- ▢ Oil for deep-frying
- ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for Marinate
- ▢ ¼ Cup cornflour (cornstarch)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon maida (all-purpose flour)
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
Ingredients to Garnish
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped spring onion greens
- ▢ 1 tablespoon crushed peanuts
Instructions
- Peel and slice the lotus stem into thin slices. Soak the lotus stem slices in water with a little bit of salt for 5 minutes. This step ensures that all the mud and dirt are removed from the lotus stem.
- Drain the water and spread the lotus stem slices on a kitchen towel. Allow them to dry. If required pat dry with another kitchen towel.
- In a bowl combine lotus stem slices, corn starch, salt and pepper. Mix nicely.
- Heat oil in a frying pan to deep fry the lotus stem slices.
- Deep-fry the lotus stem slices in small batches until they turn crisp from both the sides. Transfer to a plate/colander and set aside.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok/frying – pan.
- Add ginger, garlic, and red chilli. Stir fry for less than a minute. Add sliced onion and again cook for few seconds or till onion turn soft.
- Add the bell pepper and capsicum. Stir fry them for a minute.
- Now add the vinegar, sauces, salt, and pepper. Combine nicely.
- Next add the fried lotus stem slices. Mix nicely to coat lotus stem with the sauces.Turn off the heat.
- Serve Crispy Lotus Stem Stir Fry garnished with spring onion greens and crushed peanuts.
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure to use fresh, and tender lotus root to make stir fry.
- Keep an eye on lotus root while frying as they burn very fast and taste bitter.
- Do not fry lotus root for too long as it might turn tough in texture.
Nutrition
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