Smashed Cucumber & Peanut Rayu Salad
This is one of our favourite summer salads and the perfect way to celebrate cucumber season. Smashing the cucumber creates lots of little cracks and edges for the dressing to cling to, making every bite full of flavour. Tossed with creamy avocado, protein-rich chickpeas and edamame, fresh herbs and a punchy homemade peanut rayu, it's fresh, crunchy and seriously moreish.
Takes 20 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 large cucumber approx. 350g
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- 200 g 1½ cups cooked edamame beans
- 50 g ⅓ cup pickled red onions
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas drained and rinsed (240g drained)
- 10 g ¼ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
- 10 g ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (or herbs of your choice)
- 75 g ⅓ cup Peanut Rayu (recipe below)
For the Peanut Rayu
- 40 g ⅓ cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely diced
- 50 ml ¼ cup neutral oil (such as rapeseed or sunflower)
- 1 tbsp gochugaru alternatively you can use paprika & chilli powder
- ½ tbsp coconut sugar or soft brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
Instructions
Make the Peanut Rayu
- Finely dice the garlic and roughly chop the peanuts.
- Add the oil and garlic to a small saucepan and place over a medium heat. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the garlic is lightly golden and crisp. Keep a close eye on it, as garlic can burn quickly and become bitter.
- Meanwhile, combine the gochugaru (or paprika and chilli powder), sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl.
- Carefully pour the hot oil and crispy garlic over the spice mixture and stir well. Add the chopped peanuts, sesame seeds and tamari, then mix until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Leave to cool while you prepare the salad.
Smash the cucumber
- Place the cucumber on a chopping board and gently smash it with a rolling pin until it splits and cracks. This helps release some of the moisture while creating lots of texture for the dressing to cling to.
- Roughly chop into bite-sized pieces.
Prepare the salad
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and edamame if needed.
- Dice the avocado and finely chop the mint and parsley.
- Add the smashed cucumber, avocado, chickpeas, edamame, pickled onions and herbs to a large serving bowl.
Assemble
- Spoon over the Peanut Rayu and gently toss until everything is well coated.
- Serve immediately as a light lunch, side salad or alongside grilled tofu, tempeh or your favourite barbecue dishes. Any leftover Peanut Rayu will keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 1 week and is delicious drizzled over noodles, rice bowls or roasted vegetables.
