Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad (Liangban Huanggua)
By jackTao / Dec 18, 2025 / 20 min
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Ingredients
Serving size
Main Ingredients
- 200 g cucumber
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Seasonings
- 11.5 ml vinegar
- 7.5 ml soy sauce
- 0.6 g salt
- 5 ml oyster sauce
- 7 ml sesame oil
Instructions
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Step 1 of 4
Prepare the Cucumbers
- Wash the cucumbers. If you prefer a cleaner texture, peel them.
- Smash the cucumbers with the flat side of a knife, then chop into roughly 3cm pieces.
- Put the cucumber pieces into a bowl.
- Prepare the Cucumbers
- Wash the cucumbers. If you prefer a cleaner texture, peel them.
- Smash the cucumbers with the flat side of a knife, then chop into roughly 3cm pieces.
- Put the cucumber pieces into a bowl.
- Prepare the Garlic
- Smash the garlic and mince it finely.
- Season and Marinate
- Add vinegar, soy sauce, salt, oyster sauce, and minced garlic to the bowl.
- Mix well and let it marinate for 15 minutes.
- Finish
- Add sesame oil and mix evenly.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Sometimes the ends of cucumbers can taste bitter—trim a bit off and taste-check if needed.
- This salad is best eaten right after mixing. You can also refrigerate it (do not freeze) and serve it chilled.
- If refrigerating, cover tightly with plastic wrap and finish within 8 hours—over-marinating will make the cucumbers lose their crunch.
- For better texture, peeling the cucumber is recommended.
- Scaling reference from the original recipe: cucumber = 200g × servings; vinegar = 7.5ml + (4ml × servings); soy sauce = 5ml + (2.5ml × servings); salt = 0.4g + (0.2g × servings); sesame oil = 5ml + (2ml × servings); garlic = 3 cloves × servings.