In China, cucumbers are thought-about the perfect foil for decent climate and scorching meals.

Variations of this salad, Pai Huang Gua (Chinese language smashed cucumber salad), are served everywhere in the nation, typically spiked with dried chiles and Sichuan peppercorns for extra dimensions of flavour.

Historically, in a spicy cucumber salad, the cucumbers are sliced into rounds. In my case, this made for an excellent salad, however I discovered some points as properly.

Once I sliced the cucumbers thinly (1/8 to 1/4″), after the primary 10ish minutes, the slices misplaced a few of their crunch (probably the most interesting a part of cucumbers!).

Once I sliced them thicker (1/2″), they stayed crunchy however their giant uniform floor space meant they didn’t take in the flavour of the dressing as properly.

So I opted for smashing cucumbers, which is conventional and customary in Chinese language cucumber salads.

In Beijing, folks purchase complete chilled cucumbers from road distributors and munch them on the go, a lot as Individuals change into connected to their cups of iced espresso in summer time.

The smashing course of, a basic Chinese language method, cracks the pores and skin, helps launch the seeds and splits the flesh into interesting craggy items.

Salting and chilling the cracked cucumbers give them the right cool, crunchy, watery mouth really feel.