🥒 Smashed Cucumbers: Your new favorite salad! (拍黃瓜)

Summary

In this video, you'll learn a quick 10-minute recipe for a flavorful Smashed Cucumber Salad, complete with subtle cooking tips to enhance your culinary skills. The recipe focuses on selecting the right cucumbers, peeling in alternating stripes for texture, and smashing them to allow better seasoning absorption. It also includes a zesty sauce made with chili sauce, soy sauce, and vinegar, and optional garnishes like bell pepper and cilantro. The video promises a crunchy, zesty salad that's perfect for refreshing your palate.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Add a 10-minute recipe to your cooking skills: Smashed Cucumber Salad.
• 👨‍🍳 Improve your culinary techniques with subtle tips throughout the recipe.
• 🥒 Start with selecting the right cucumbers: slender and bumpy-skinned for the best texture.
• 🔪 Cut cucumbers in a specific way to enhance flavor and reduce wateriness.
• 🌿 Peel cucumbers in alternating stripes for a better taste and texture.
• 🚫 Avoid overly mature cucumbers with large seeds in the core.
• 🍴 Smash cucumbers with a cleaver to allow seasonings to penetrate better.
• 🧂 Use salt and sugar to draw out moisture from cucumbers for better flavor absorption.
• 🥗 Include bell peppers and green onions for color and taste enhancement.
• 🌶️ Create a balanced sauce that is sour, sweet, spicy, and salty for the perfect dressing.
• 🌿 Optional: Add cilantro for an extra flavor twist, but it can be omitted if not preferred.

Q & A

What are the two reasons to watch the video mentioned in the script?

The two reasons are to learn a new 10-minute recipe for Smashed Cucumber Salad and to gain subtle tips and techniques that can improve your cooking skills.

How should cucumbers be washed and cut according to the video?

Cucumbers should be washed first, then cut by trimming off the ends, peeling them in alternating stripes, and cutting them in half lengthwise. Optionally, some of the core can be removed to reduce wateriness.

What type of cucumbers are recommended for the recipe?

Slender English cucumbers with thinner peels are preferred for their softer texture and better taste. Short cucumbers are also acceptable if peeled, and they offer a crunchier texture.

Why should cucumbers have bumpy peels instead of smooth ones?

Cucumbers with bumpy peels are often fresher and less mature compared to those with smooth peels.

Why is it important to remove the core of the cucumber?

Removing the core helps to reduce the wateriness of the cucumber, which prevents the seasoning from being diluted and maintains the flavor.

What is the difference between smashing and chopping cucumbers for this recipe?

Smashing loosens up the cucumber's texture, allowing seasonings to penetrate better and resulting in a better flavor and texture compared to chopped cucumbers.

What tools can be used to smash the cucumbers if a cleaver is not available?

If a cleaver is not available, a heavy object like a meat tenderizer or rolling pin can be used to smash the cucumbers.

How long should the cucumbers be salted and sugared before adding the sauce?

The cucumbers should be salted and sugared for about 30 minutes to draw out moisture, which helps the seasonings penetrate better.

What is the purpose of adding red bell pepper to the salad?

Red bell pepper is added for a pop of color and for its sweet taste, although the amount used is minimal.

What are the key flavors that the sauce for Smashed Cucumber Salad should have?

The sauce should be sour, sweet, spicy, and salty, with adjustments possible based on personal preference.

How can the crunchiness of the cucumber be maintained in the final salad?

The crunchiness of the cucumber is maintained by marinating it with vinegar, which helps to preserve its texture.