Smashed Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
Recipe Highlights
This smashed cucumber with chickpea salad is the one I make when it’s too warm to cook, or when I just don’t want to turn anything on. Crunchy smashed cucumbers, chickpeas, lots of dill, and a sharp, garlicky mustard dressing that soaks into everything.
Smashing cucumbers is a traditional Chinese technique, and that’s where I got this technique from for this dish. Instead of neat slices, you get rough, cracked pieces with nooks and crannies that grab onto the dressing. I’ve kept the flavors here simple and pantry-friendly: apple cider vinegar, Dijon, olive oil, garlic and chili flakes. Nothing you’d need to go buy especially for this salad.
Ingredients
Step by Step
Which Cucumbers to Use
Whichever kind you use, halve it lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. The watery center is what thins out the dressing, even in cucumbers with small seeds. The only real difference between varieties is whether you need to peel.
- Garden cucumbers: Also called slicing, field, American or regular cucumbers. The standard supermarket cucumber in the US. The skin is thick, tough and sometimes waxed, and it can taste bitter, so peel them in alternating strips.
- English cucumbers: This is the variety I used. Also called hothouse, seedless, European, burpless or continental cucumbers. The long, slim ones usually sold wrapped in plastic. The skin is thin, so there’s no need to peel.
- Lebanese cucumbers: Also called Middle Eastern cucumbers. Short with smooth, thin skin. No peeling needed.
- Persian cucumbers: Also called mini, snacking or baby cucumbers. Very similar to Lebanese cucumbers and often what you’ll find in US stores instead. Thin skin, no peeling needed.
- Japanese cucumbers: Also called kyuri. Long and thin with bumpy skin. They’re especially crunchy, which makes them great for smashing. No peeling needed.
TIP: Cucumbers vary a lot in size, so weigh them rather than counting. You want about 24.7 oz / 700g for the full recipe, whatever variety you use.
Serving Ideas
This is a full meal on its own, but if you want to make it heartier, serve it with crusty bread to mop up the dressing, or a spoonful of garlicky plant-based yogurt on the side instead of the vegan feta.
You can also pair it with these dishes!
It serves two as a main or four as a side, and it scales up or down easily. You can adjust the dressing to your liking as well. Want some more heat? Add more chili. Want it to be a little punchier in acidity? Add more ACV.
Now let me show you how to make it!
Smashed Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 as main, 4 as a side
Description
A fresh, herby no-cook salad of crunchy smashed cucumbers and chickpeas in a tangy garlic and mustard dressing, hearty enough to have for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Equipment
- Chopping board and knife
- Teaspoon
- Cleaver, rolling pin, or a large knife
- Sieve
- Fine grater
- Large serving bowl
- Fork
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 24.7 oz / 700g cucumbers (about 2 large)*
- 1½ teaspoons salt, divided, plus extra to taste
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1–2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus extra to taste
- ¼ cup / 60ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ to 1 teaspoon chili flakes, depending on how much heat you like
- 1½ cups / 240g cooked chickpeas (1 x 14 oz / 400g can), drained and washed
- ¾ cup / 20g dill, roughly chopped
- Vegan feta, to serve (optional)
Instructions
Tip: For step-by-step images, please check earlier in the post.
- Smash the cucumbers: Peel the cucumbers (about 2 large) if needed. Halve them lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Smash them with a cleaver, rolling pin, or the flat side of your biggest knife until they crack. If they’re large, cut each half lengthwise again, then cut on an angle into rough bite-sized pieces.
- Salt and drain: Toss the cucumber with salt (1 teaspoon) in a sieve set over a bowl or the sink and leave to drain for 30 minutes. Adjust the salt to the amount of cucumber you have.
- Start the dressing: While the cucumber drains, put the red onion (½ small), garlic (2 cloves), apple cider vinegar (2 tablespoons), and the remaining salt (½ teaspoon) in your serving bowl and mix well. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Dress the chickpeas: Add in the olive oil (¼ cup), Dijon mustard (2 teaspoons), and chili flakes (½ to 1 teaspoon) and mix to combine. Stir in the chickpeas (1½ cups), crushing some with a fork or spoon as you go. The dressing should taste a little too strong at this stage.
- Bring it together: Just before serving, press the cucumber gently in the sieve and shake off any liquid. Don’t rinse or squeeze it. Add it to the bowl with most of the dill, toss well, then adjust with more salt or vinegar if needed.
- Serve: Top with the remaining dill, crumbled vegan feta if using, and a drizzle of olive oil. Eat straight away while the cucumber is crisp.
Notes
Cucumbers: Deseed every kind so the dressing doesn’t get watery. Garden cucumbers have thick, tough skin and can be bitter, so peel them in alternating strips. English (plastic-wrapped), Lebanese, Persian, and Japanese cucumbers have thin skin and don’t need peeling.
Smashing: Fresh cucumbers break easily. If yours are tough to smash, they’re likely older.
Salt for draining: Use 1 teaspoon per 24.7 oz / 700g of cucumber, or ½ teaspoon per 12.3 oz / 350g.
Vegan feta: It’s salty, so go easy on the salt if you’re adding it.
Scaling: Allow about 12.3 oz / 350g cucumber and half a can of chickpeas per person.
Make it heartier: Serve with crusty bread or garlicky plant-based yogurt.
