Smash Your Cucumbers With A Rolling Pin For An Ultra-Flavorful Snack

Who knew that food smashing was a thing? Contrary to pandemic-era rumors, the seemingly quirky practice didn't spring from extreme frustration or cooped-in boredom. It's actually a routine culinary technique in Asian cooking, one with merits far beyond trendy rage-room smashing of plates, electronics, or your ex's favorite beer mug. All those things may feel satisfying on a rudimentary level, but smashing food is a tad more sophisticated — and way more tasty. That includes smashing cucumbers, and the only tool you need is a trusty ol' rolling pin. 

Smashed cucumber is essentially what it sounds like, though less dramatic. The practice has an aim of loosening up the insides of a cucumber, creating semi-soft bites and multiple crevices for easily absorbing accompanying oils, spices, vinegars, sauces, or dressings. There's also a bit of science involved, as a gentle rolling smash loosens up compounds in the cell walls of vegetables, causing a glorious jubilee of flavor as they mix and mingle in the bowl. 

Start by slicing off the two ends of a long, unpeeled cucumber, then gently run a rolling pin lengthwise across the surface. That should be enough to loosen the liquids, soften the texture, and release the flavor compounds tucked inside. Most any kind of cucumber suffices, but the relatively thinner, longer, shape of English cucumbers tends to hold less water, so they're more flavorful and easier to work with. Now you're ready to create your own smashed cucumber medley.

As an uncooked vegetable, smashed cucumbers most commonly appear in chilled Asian-style salads, typically bearing tart, tangy, or pickled characteristics. However, there's no reason it can't be a light and flavorful standalone snack. Experiment with your own ideas for oils and seasonings in which to soak the smashed cucumbers; some common ones to start with are varying combinations of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and chili, grapeseed, and/or sesame oils. Add flavor and complexity with ingredients such as fresh garlic, spring onions, red pepper flakes, and some kind of sweetener, typically coarse or caster sugar. 

After cutting the cucumbers into roughly two-inch slices, leaving the outer skin to avoid a mushy mess, let them soak in your liquid concoction for a few minutes. Then drain off the excess, and enjoy your snack or smashed cucumber salad. Make it a full meal by adding cold cooked shrimp and lettuce greens.  

Note that "smashed" cucumbers are slightly different than similar-sounding "smacked" cucumbers, which are literally smacked or whacked until they split open. Though still delicious, smacked versions may have fewer merged flavor compounds as ones gently smashed with a rolling pin or mortar. Cucumbers aren't the only veggies suitable for this unconventional culinary practice; try smashed apples, beets, radishes, cauliflower, squash, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and more. Ones with less squishy compositions than cucumbers may need steaming or lightly baking before smashing.