Salty, tangy, garlicky, and with a touch of sesame nuttiness, this recipe is all about balance and it's very easy to make. I like to have this salad as a side when I'm serving fish, chicken or even a big cut of meat like beef roast. It's extremely fresh and has a little kick to it to I htink it pairs well with both heavy or lighter mains.

There’s no cooking involved and the dressing has no oil of its own. It’s just black vinegar, garlic, a little sugar, and sesame seeds. The fat and heat come from the chilli crisp spooned over at the end. The oil in chilli crisp carries fat-soluble compounds from the fried chilli, garlic, and Sichuan pepper, and it coats the cucumber differently to a mixed dressing. Once the salad is dressed, serve it straight away.

Why is it called smacked?

Pai huang gua is a Sichuan-style smacked cucumber salad, and the smacking technique is functional, not theatrical. When you hit the cucumber with the flat side of a knife or a rolling pin, you split the cell walls along their natural grain rather than cutting cleanly through them. The result is irregular, jagged edges with far more surface area than a sliced cucumber. More surface area means the salt draws out moisture faster through osmosis, and the dressing clings to the flesh rather than running straight off.

Ingredient Notes

Black vinegar:

Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang or Zhenjiang vinegar) is made from fermented glutinous rice and has a malty, slightly smoky depth that regular rice wine vinegar doesn’t have. It’s less sharp and more rounded. The recipe lists balsamic as an alternative, which is the closest substitute in terms of depth and sweetness, but use a little less because balsamic is thicker and sweeter than black vinegar.

Chilli crisp:

Chilli crisp is not the same as chilli oil. A good chilli crisp like Lao Gan Ma contains fried shallots, garlic, and Sichuan pepper mixed into the oil alongside the chilli flakes. The Sichuan pepper brings a numbing, tingly quality that plain chilli oil can’t replicate. Lao Gan Ma is widely available at Asian grocery stores and most supermarkets. Add as much or as little as you like at the end.

Sesame seeds (toasted):

Toasting sesame seeds triggers the Maillard reaction on the surface, developing a nutty, roasted flavour that raw seeds don’t have. If your seeds aren’t pre-toasted, a dry pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until they turn golden is all you need. Shake the pan regularly so they colour evenly and pull them off the heat as soon as they start to smell nutty.