Small plate · China
Smashed cucumber salad
Cucumbers cracked open and dressed with vinegar and garlic.
About the dish
Smashed cucumber salad, pai huanggua in Mandarin, is a cold dish served across China, often as a fresh counterweight to rich or spicy food.
The cucumbers are smashed with the flat side of a cleaver or a rolling pin until they crack, then torn into rough pieces. The jagged, broken surfaces soak up dressing far better than neat slices, and the seeds loosen. A sprinkle of salt and a short rest draws out water, which is drained off so the dressing is not diluted and the cucumber stays crunchy.
The dressing is usually black vinegar, minced raw garlic, soy sauce, a little sugar and sesame oil, often with chili oil. Sour and salt lead, the raw garlic and chili bring heat, and the sugar softens the vinegar. It is dressed just before serving, since it turns limp if it sits too long.
Written from general cooking knowledge, as background on a dish from the game’s recipe book. It is not a tested recipe.
The flavors it leans on
Smashed cucumber salad in Night Kitchen
In the game, Smashed cucumber salad is a small plate in the recipe book. A plate is named Smashed cucumber salad when it holds these cards and no technique at all, with at most one extra ingredient.
Ingredients
- Cucumber
- Vinegar
- Garlic
How those cards taste
Cooked from just these cards for an average ticket, before tonight’s mood and quirks, it would please Dot (3 stars), Odile (2 stars) and Hattie (2 stars) most.
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