The first herb that springs to mind when I think about Asian cooking is coriander. You can roast the seeds to create an aromatic curry, or chop up some of the leaves and sprinkle them over the top of a stir fry to give your dish some vibrancy. Whatever way you like to use it, it is a flavour you will find in many a dish here in China. And buying coriander amounts to pennies. 

Trying to think of one stand out dish featuring coriander to recreate was quite challenging. However in recent weeks, my friends and I have become highly addicted to one in particular; Smashed Cucumber Salad (拍黄瓜), a cold dish consisting of cucumbers, marinated in oil, chillies and lots of fresh coriander. It is a dish of few ingredients, but really delivers on flavour! After a few attempts, this was the best recipe I could create.

Serves: 3
Method: Mix
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: 1/10

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 cucumbers, chopped into medium sized chunks
2. ½ – 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped or minced (depending on how spicy you like it)
3. 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
4. 1 ½ tbsp Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar (or rice vinegar is ok too)
5. 1 tbsp light soy sauce
6. ½ – 1 tsp sesame oil
7. A pinch of sugar
8. A good handful of fresh coriander roughly chopped (with the stalks too)

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DIRECTIONS

1. The best way to prepare the cucumber is to smash it up a bit first. When it is still whole and you have trimmed off the end bits, get your meat cleaver, tilt it so the blade is horizontal, and using the flat part of the knife whack up the full length of the cucumber. Then cut the cucumber using diagonal strokes to create diamond like shapes. This will help the cucumber absorb more of the sauce! 
2. Make sure to dry the cucumber. Get a paper towel and dab them on all sides to drain out any excess moisture. This will stop the cucumber going soggy, plus it stops the water from running out of the cucumber and into the sauce and diluting it! Put them into a bowl.
3. Grab another bowl and add the chilli, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and of course the coriander. Mix well and leave to one side.
4. Once you are ready to serve, pour the sauce over the cucumber. It is very important not to pour the sauce over the cucumber in advance. If you do, it will lose its texture and be diluted and watery, tasting mushy and bland. So remember to wait!

This was the easiest dish I have recreated so far! It involved zero cooking; just chopping, mixing and pouring.

My friends and I enjoyed the dish in its entirety. From the smashing to the eating, it was all good fun and it certainly had an incredible flavour to it! First time I smashed it too much and the cucumbers turned into mush… So when you try it yourself try to turn down your enthusiasm! And choose your time; nothing beats the taste of cold cucumber on a warm autumn evening!