Keto Chinese Smashed Cucumber

Keto Chinese Smashed Cucumber will quickly become one of your favorite Keto cucumber salads to pair with Keto Chinese main dishes. It is super simple, quick, and refreshing. The cucumbers are smacked with a rolling pin until they are starting to break. Once the cucumber is smashed, it is diced up and then tossed in delicious soy, garlic, black vinegar sauce, and chili oil. This is a super easy Keto side dish.

Why is the cucumber smashed before dicing it?

Smashing the cucumber helps to crush the vegetable, which allows it to soak up the delicious low-carb sauce that is poured over it, then the sauce sticks in all the nooks and crannies versus sliding off the vegetable into the bottom of the bowl.

What if I don’t like spicy food?

This dish is not too spicy; the chili oil serves as a flavor, not so much for heat. If you don’t like spice at all, replace the chili oil with sesame oil instead.

What is Chinese black vinegar?

Chinese black vinegar or Chinkiang vinegar is made with fermented black rice, and it has a delightful flavor that is stronger, but similar to balsamic vinegar. If you can’t find Chinese black vinegar, you can substitute with balsamic vinegar. It is a great way to jazz up low carb and paleo Chinese dishes.

Serving suggestions

Keto Chinese Smashed Cucumber would be delicious as an appetizer with any Chinese entree, like Carb Manager’s Low Carb Air Fryer Kung Pao Chicken https://www.carbmanager.com/recipe/low-carb-air-fryer-kung-pao-chicken

Net Carbs

2.5 g
Fiber

1.1 g
Total Carbs

3.7 g
Protein

0.9 g
Fats

1.2 g

26 cals

Quantity

Serving Size

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Cucumber

13 ounce
Garlic

1 clove
Coarse Kosher Salt by Morton

¼ tsp
Soy Sauce

1-½ teaspoon
Chinkiang Vinegar by Gold Plum

1 teaspoon
Hot & Spicy Chili Oil by Trader Joe's

1 teaspoon

Step 1

Wash cucumbers well before starting. Prepare your cutting board and rolling pin. Place cucumbers on the cutting board and hit with the rolling pin until the cucumbers start to break. Smash them on the entire length of the cucumber. Once they are splitting and cracking they are ready.
Step 2

Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and then each half lengthwise again, basically cutting the cucumber into quarters. Then dice the cucumber quarters into a small dice and place them into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Step 3

Add in the garlic (that has been taken through a fine grater), kosher salt, soy sauce and Chinkiang vinegar. Mix well and refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to mingle. Serve chilled.