Do: smash cucumbers
I don’t know about you, but the sunshine makes me crave fresh food more and more. Stews and risotto are making way for dishes with fresh herbs and the ultimate refresher: cucumber. With this technique, you can make it even more delicious.
Cucumbers have little flavor of their own. This green vegetable consists of no less than 96 percent water. That makes it incredibly refreshing, but not particularly flavorful. It’s the perfect crunchy addition to a salad, but if you make a little effort, you can easily turn cucumber into the star of the meal.
Flavor everywhere
Recipes for meat or fish often say that you should score the meat and rub marinade into every nook and cranny. Why not apply the same technique to cucumbers? The Chinese have been doing this for ages, and there’s something we can learn from them. Cucumbers naturally have a smooth surface, which means vinaigrette or sauce doesn’t cling to or penetrate them very well. The solution? Smash them!
Smashing cucumbers creates many more corners, holes, and ridges, allowing them to suddenly absorb all those flavors. Bingo! Some recipes say you should go to town on them with the back of a pan, and while that’s great if you have some pent-up aggression to release, there’s an easier way.
How?
Cut the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters. Place a long piece of cucumber on a cutting board with the seed side facing down. Place a knife sideways on top of the cucumber and press the palm of your hand onto the side of the knife, as if you were crushing garlic. Then break the cucumber into bite-sized pieces with your hands.
Have five minutes to spare? Sprinkle the cucumber with salt and let it sit for a while (longer than five minutes is fine too). This softens the skin while firming up the flesh, and helps the cucumber absorb the salt’s flavor. A typical Chinese cucumber salad is further seasoned with garlic, vinegar (black vinegar or rice vinegar), and a little sugar. You can also add cilantro or toasted sesame seeds. Not authentically Chinese, but very delicious: fried onions.
From Chinese to French
Just because we’re stealing this technique from the Chinese, that doesn’t mean you can only use it to make Chinese cucumber salad. Use the same technique with a classic French vinaigrette and you’ll have a wonderfully summery salad. Or make it even fresher with a dressing based on yogurt and fresh herbs (dill or parsley, for example). Either way: from now on, you’ll always smash your cucumbers.
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