Smacked Cucumber Salad with Smoky Almonds
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This is the easiest but most satisfying small plate cucumber salad and is the perfect best buddy for any Chinese meal. I like to serve this whenever I’m making dim sum. The cucumber is beautifully infused with garlic and has a gentle zing from the vinegar. The whole salad is brought together with the beautiful gloss of sesame oil and topped with smoky, salty flaked almonds.
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4 T flaked almonds
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 1 t liquid smoke
- 1 large cucumber
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 t chinkiang vinegar (chinese black vinegar)
- 1 t agave syrup
- 2 t light soy sauce
- 1 t toasted sesame oil
- ¼ t Koran chilli flakes
- ¼ t white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c and line a baking tray with parchment.
- In a small bowl, toss the flaked almonds with the fine sea salt and the liquid smoke.
- Spread the almonds out onto the parchment and bake them for between 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch them like a hawk as they’ll burn very quickly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Place the cucumber on a chopping board, and with the flat side of a knife or with a heavy cast-iron pan, smack the cucumber until it breaks apart. Try not to use a knife – wherever possible break the cucumber into pieces and place into a bowl.
- In an empty jam jar with a lid, add the garlic and the vinegar. Shake up well and leave for a few minutes (this allows the vinegar to cook the garlic slightly, removing that raw garlic taste).
- Add the agave syrup, soy sauce and sesame oil to the jar and shake to combine.
- Dress the cucumber with the dressing before sprinkling with the chilli flakes, sesame seeds and smoky almonds.
Notes
This recipe is super quick and easy, but for all you visual learners out there, here’s a breakdown of the steps.