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Smashed cucumber and peanut salad with chilli oil
youryum.com/recipes/smashed-cucumber-and-peanut-salad-with-chilli-oil · serves 4

A cold salad with a warm chilli finish

Fragrant chilli oil brings warmth to cold smashed cucumber without cooking away its snap.

  • Vegan
  • Gluten free
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 23 July 2026
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Smashed cucumber and peanut salad with chilli oil
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Prep
15 min
Cook
—
Total
15 min
Serves
4
Per serving
223kcal
Effort
Easy

Chilli oil is best added in two places: a little in the dressing, and the rest over the top. The first coats the cucumber; the second keeps the toasted chilli aroma alive. This is a cold salad, but it should not taste cold or flat.

Use a mild, fruity chilli flake unless you know the heat of yours. You can always add more at the table.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Chilli oil

Salad

Equipment

  • Large chopping board
  • Chef's knife
  • Colander
  • Small bowl

Method

  1. Bloom the chilli

    Put the chilli flakes and sesame seeds in a heatproof bowl. Warm the oil until it shimmers, pour it over and leave for five minutes. Stir in the rice vinegar. It should smell fragrant, not burnt.

  2. Smash and drain

    Crack the cucumbers with the flat of a knife, cut them into chunks and toss with a pinch of salt. Leave for ten minutes, then drain and pat dry.

  3. Make the dressing

    Stir two tablespoons of the chilli oil with the lime juice, soy sauce and garlic. Taste before adding salt; the soy sauce is doing most of that work.

    If the cucumber is still wet when it meets the chilli oil, drain it again. Water is not neutral here: it thins the dressing, carries the salt to the bottom of the bowl, and leaves the peanuts tasting like an afterthought. If the pieces feel soft, stop tossing. A few careful lifts with your hands are enough.

    Hands preparing chilli oil smashed cucumber and peanut salad during the make the dressing step

  4. Toss the salad

    Add the cucumber, peanuts and coriander to the dressing. Turn gently until the rough cucumber surfaces are coated without breaking the pieces down further.

    If the cucumber is still wet when it meets the chilli oil, drain it again. Water is not neutral here: it thins the dressing, carries the salt to the bottom of the bowl, and leaves the peanuts tasting like an afterthought. If the pieces feel soft, stop tossing. A few careful lifts with your hands are enough.

  5. Finish with heat

    Pour over the remaining chilli oil just before serving. Add more lime at the table if the oil feels rich.

Cucumbers peanuts herbs and ingredients for chilli oil smashed cucumber salad arranged on a kitchen counter
The ingredients for the chilli oil version, ready before the cucumber gets smashed.

Why smashed cucumber works

The oil is a finishing ingredient as much as a cooking one. Hot oil extracts colour and aroma from the flakes, while the vinegar added afterwards stops the flavour becoming heavy.

A little soy sauce gives the cucumber savoury depth, but use it carefully. The salad should still taste of lime and fresh coriander.

The small failures are useful

If the finished bowl tastes dull, add acid before salt. Cucumber and peanuts can absorb more seasoning than you expect, while too much salt makes the water come out faster. A teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar usually fixes the balance without changing the character of the chilli oil.

If the cucumber has gone soft, serve it colder and stop stirring it. The texture will not return, but the flavour can still be good over warm rice or beside grilled bread.

For a different meal, replace the peanuts with toasted cashews, sunflower seeds or crisp beans. Keep the same smashed-and-drained method. The dressing is flexible; the texture work is not.

One last check before it leaves the kitchen: taste a piece from the bottom of the bowl, not the top. The dressing settles there, and a salad can seem seasoned on its surface while the cucumber underneath is bland. Lift the pieces once, adjust with a small splash of acid, then stop. The chilli oil should be visible and distinct rather than folded into a single wet flavour.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 4 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 223 kcal
Protein 6 g
Carbohydrate 14 g
Fibre 3 g
Fat 14 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use chilli crisp?
Yes. Use three tablespoons chilli crisp in place of the homemade oil, then add two tablespoons of neutral oil to loosen the dressing.
Is this salad very spicy?
That depends on the flakes. Start with half a tablespoon and add more after tasting.
Can I use lemon instead of lime?
Yes, though lime has a greener, sharper aroma. Use two tablespoons of lemon juice.

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