This refreshing garlic cucumber salad is an ideal side dish to balance a heavy main course thanks to its crisp texture and addictive spicy sauce. You'll love it with the original Chinese sauce or the variation sauce if you can't source the exotic ingredients.
Line up the flat edge of your chef's knife along a cucumber. Push the knife into the cucumber to flatten it.
Cut the smashed cucumber into smaller bite-sized pieces. Set aside for later.
Or slice with a mandoline
After washing and cutting the ends off the cucumbers, run the cucumber through a mandoline to slice them thinly and uniformly. Remember to use the hand guard for protection.
Make the garlic dressing
Peel the fresh garlic. Crush each clove with a garlic press. Put the pressed garlic into a small container with a tight lid.
Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, chili sauce, and Sichuan peppercorn oil to the pressed garlic. Mix until well combined. You can seal the container with the lid and shake to mix the dressing. Stir the dressing into the cut cucumbers. Serve immediately. Enjoy your spicy garlic cucumber salad!
Notes
See the table for converting from the original to the variation ingredients to make the salad dressing.