Smacked cucumber salad with tahini
oscar ingham
1d ago
20 minWeeknight stapleChineseRawVeganVegetarianDairy-FreeEgg-Free
Ingredients
Serves
2
- English cucumbers, 2 medium
- Tahini, 4 tbsp
- Tomato paste or red pepper base, 2 tbsp
- Olive oil, 3 tbsp
- Garlic, 2 cloves
- Lemon juice, 2 tbsp
- Soy sauce or tamari, 1 tbsp
- Crispy fried shallots or onions, 4 tbsp
- Spring onions / scallions, 3 stalks
- Chili oil or chili flakes, 1 tsp
- Sesame oil, 1 tsp
- Salt, 1 tsp
- Rice vinegar, 1 tbsp
- Sugar, 1 tsp
- Water, 2 tbsp
🥜 Nutty🧄 Garlicky🌿 Fresh🍲 Savoury🍊 Tangy
Method
- Place cucumbers on a cutting board and smack firmly with the flat side of a cleaver or rolling pin until they crack open, then roughly chop into bite-sized chunks.
- Toss chopped cucumbers with 1 tsp salt in a colander and let drain for 10 minutes to remove excess water, then pat dry.
- Whisk together tahini, tomato or red pepper base, lemon juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and water until a smooth, pourable sauce forms — adjust consistency with more water as needed.
- Mince garlic finely and stir into the sauce, allowing it to infuse for a few minutes.
- Spread the tahini sauce generously across the base of a wide shallow bowl.
- Arrange the drained smacked cucumbers and sliced spring onions over the sauce.
- Spoon crispy fried shallots and a drizzle of chili oil over the top.
- Serve immediately as a salad or side dish alongside flatbreads or other accompaniments.
Tip: Don't skip the salting and draining step — it removes bitterness and excess moisture from the cucumbers so they stay crisp and absorb the sauce rather than diluting it.