How to cook Chinese smashed cucumbers: a quick appetizer

Smashed cucumbers are a popular Chinese appetizer. Its main feature is that before cooking, the cucumbers must be smashed well until they start to crack. This method is believed to help cucumbers marinate faster. By the way, you can beat the vegetable with whatever you have at hand: a knife, a rolling pin, or even a meat hammer.

Food blogger Oleksiy Kryuchkov (_kruchkov) shared a recipe for smashed cucumbers on his Instagram page.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 1-1.5 kg
• hot pepper - 1/4 pc
• garlic - 2 cloves
• sesame oil - 2 tbsp
• soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• 6% vinegar - 2 tbsp (preferably rice)
• sugar - 1 tbsp

Method of preparation:

1. Wash the cucumbers. Beat the vegetable and cut them into pieces.

2. Add salt. Mix and leave for a while.

3. For the marinade, chop the pepper and garlic. Add to the blender.

4. Add soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Beat until smooth.

5. Drain the water from the cucumbers and add sugar.

6. Add the marinade as well. Stir and leave in the refrigerator for 2 hours.