In China, cucumbers are considered the ideal foil for hot weather and hot food.
Versions of this salad, Pai Huang Gua (Chinese smashed cucumber salad), are served all over the country, sometimes spiked with dried chiles and Sichuan peppercorns for more dimensions of flavour.
Traditionally, in a spicy cucumber salad, the cucumbers are sliced into rounds. In my case, this made for a good salad, but I found some issues as well.
When I sliced the cucumbers thinly (1/8 to 1/4″), after the first 10ish minutes, the slices lost some of their crunch (the most appealing part of cucumbers!).
When I sliced them thicker (1/2″), they stayed crunchy but their large uniform surface area meant they didn’t absorb the flavour of the dressing as well.
So I opted for smashing cucumbers, which is traditional and common in Chinese cucumber salads.
In Beijing, people buy whole chilled cucumbers from street vendors and munch them on the go, much as Americans become attached to their cups of iced coffee in summer.
The smashing process, a classic Chinese technique, cracks the skin, helps release the seeds and splits the flesh into appealing craggy pieces.
Salting and chilling the cracked cucumbers give them the perfect cool, crunchy, watery mouth feel.
Credit Source – https://gosumitup.com/smashed-cucumbers-by-smashing-cucumbers