Smacked cucumber and beef salad
Those few weeks after Christmas? It’s when cooking motivation can go seriously AWOL, but cravings for fresh, punchy flavours don’t take a break. You’re done with the richness of ham, roast vegetables, and plum pudding, and if you see another turkey leg smothered in cranberry sauce you’ll scream. Enter this Chinese-inspired salad – a dish that looks and tastes like you’ve got a Sichuanese master chef hiding in your kitchen, but that’s actually super-easy to whip up.
The heart of the dressing is black Chinkiang (Zhenjiang) vinegar, a staple in Chinese cooking that’s earthy, tangy, and faintly sweet. If you don’t already have a bottle, go get one pronto; it’s a transformative ingredient that’s a must for everything from dumpling-dipping to drizzling on stir-fried greens.
For the beef, we used a 700g piece of beef fillet and ours was the tapered end which cooks a little quicker than the thicker end will. So the cook time wholly depends on the cut, shape, and thickness of your steak and you don’t have to use a single piece, or even eye fillet. Grill a few hefty sirloin or rib eye steaks, then cut them into strips once they’re cool if you prefer. Whatever you use, the goal is juiciness and a meat thermometer is recommended if you’re not confident. It should read around 60˚C for medium-rare. And if you don’t fancy steak, shredded, cold chicken will also work a treat.
Now, let’s talk cucumbers. Smacking them isn’t just for the drama and the stress relief potential – although it does feel good to take out some agro on unsuspecting salad vegetables. No, the smashing creates cracks, crevices and overall surface area to soak up every drop of the zingy, garlicky dressing. And somehow, cucumbers just taste better when they’re given this treatment; all the sweet juices get released and they mingle nicely with the puckery dressing. Adding toasted, crushed cumin seeds and Sichuan peppercorns – plus a scattering of roasted peanuts for crunch and coriander for freshness – rounds the flavours out perfectly.
To serve, just pile your salad onto a large platter, and you’ve got a dish that’s equally at home in a casual post-Christmas lunch spread or a more polished dinner-party setting. Serve with plenty of steamed rice to soak up the juices, and watch it disappear in record time. Because, let’s face it: after the Christmas marathon, you might want a break from kitchen duties—but your taste buds still want some ‘wow’. This salad? A perfect fit.
SERVES 4
1 tbsp canola oil, or other high-smoke-point oil
700g piece of beef fillet, trimmed and patted dry
1½ tsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns
6 Lebanese cucumbers (about 650g)
1 small red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
80g (½ cup) roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped or crushed
Large handful coriander sprigs
Steamed medium-grain rice, to serve
Dressing
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp chilli oil
2½ tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
80ml (⅓ cup) Chinkiang vinegar
Preheat the oven to 200˚C, fan-forced. Heat an oven-proof frying pan over high heat, then add the oil. Season the steak all over with salt, then add to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, for 5–6 minutes or until well-seared all over. Transfer the pan to the oven, then cook for 12–15 minutes until medium-rare, or until cooked to your liking. Remove the steak from the pan, then cool to room temperature.
Heat a small, heavy-based frypan over medium-low heat, then add the cumin seeds and peppercorns. Cook, tossing the pan often, for about 3 minutes or until fragrant. Cool, then transfer the spices to a mortar or an electric spice grinder, then crush with a mortar or briefly blitz until very coarsely ground.
For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine well, and set aside.
Working with one cucumber at a time, place it on a board, then smack it all over using a rolling pin or meat mallet to crack the cucumber open. Trim the ends, then cut the cucumber into pieces about 2cm. Add to the dressing in the bowl.
Cut the cooled beef into thin slices, then add to the dressed cucumber with the onion, peanuts, and coriander. Gently toss to combine, then pile onto a serving platter, tray, or into a large bowl. Serve with plenty of steamed rice.
