Smashed Cucumber Salad

My mom and I had a mission.  After visiting our favorite Chinese restaurant literally hundreds of times, we stumbled upon a new favorite dish to order: their humble cucumber salad.  It was simple, clean, and packed full of flavor, and we figured it couldn't be that hard to make at home.  They wouldn't give us the recipe, so we set to work trying a few of the options we found online, even though they didn't seem to line up with what we were tasting, featuring things like sesame oil that just didn't seem to be in the Mandarin Deli's version.

Eventually we gave up on finding someone else's recipe and just pieced together our own from the elements we could taste.  Through this trial and error we discovered a couple key tips: that it's absolutely necessary to use fresh garlic instead of the jarred minced kind, that there's no oil needed whatsoever, and that yes, smashing the cucumbers first really does help (both as a way to open them up to absorb more flavor, and as a great stress reliever).

The portion I made turned out to be relatively small, so feel free to double or quadruple it if serving to others.  It'll taste best after sitting for a day or two, so it doesn't hurt to make extra to keep on hand.

Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
3 Persian cucumbers
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Slice off ends of cucumbers, and slice in half lengthwise.  Smack each cucumber half with the side of the knife blade to "smash" them - they should split in places.  Slice each cucumber half into bite-size pieces and place in bowl.  Sprinkle cucumbers thoroughly with salt (you'll want to go heavy on the salt here - since you'll rinse the cucumbers later, you won't quite be eating all that sodium).

Let cucumbers sit for 30 min, until water has drained out and collected at the bottom of the bowl.  Drain cucumbers and rinse, then add to bowl with sugar, vinegar, garlic, and cilantro.  Mix thoroughly. Serve immediately, or for best results, refrigerate for 1-2 days before serving.