During my teenage years, before I discovered the magic of Wensi Tofu, Suoyi Cucumber 蓑衣黄瓜 used to symbolise what it meant to have ‘perfect knife skills’.
I can’t exactly remember when I first learnt about it, all I remember was how the chef, taking a very normal cucumber, cutting it repeatedly on one side, then the other, then suddenly it just became something that is a cross between a snake and a spring.
Despite knowing about it for a long time, I have never eaten the dish itself or attempt to make it until a couple years back, after moving to London post-graduation.
Partly it is because a simple smacked cucumber salad usually does the job — and to be honest they are pretty much the same thing flavour-wise so why the extra hassle? And also because I rarely cook dishes that I have not eaten before.
Then, one year, Chinese Laundry Room started serving it in their pop-up. (After years of anticipation, of course I had to try it.) The same year, my friend wanted to make it for a CNY banquet. Now that I have eaten it, I volunteered to do the cutting.
Even though my first attempt was pretty appalling — I was super slow and the finished product didn’t really extend much — it made me realise how accessible the process was. It just requires some patience.
Since then, I started making it frequently at home. It’s not only a great way to pimp up a cucumber salad, but also an opportunity to practice knife skills. Plus, since the slices are thin, the cucumber soaks up tons of flavour, but the structure remains because, well, it’s still in one piece.
Finally, it’s actually SUPER SIMPLE when you break the steps down. In this newsletter, I will be sharing the steps, tips, and maths in how to make this classic-but-a-little-fancy cucumber salad, with 99.99% success rate*.
Let’s begin!
*sorry I find it difficult to commit to 100% for any claims
The HOW-TO: Cutting it into shape
The key of this dish is the cutting. It’s what defines the Suoyi part of Suoyi Cucumber, and once you master this you can pretty much freestyle on the flavour variations or even use it on another vegetable.
Step-by-step:
Lay your cucumber on the chopping board, and take a deep breath
Starting at one end, place your knife at an angle (45-60 degrees) to the cucumber, and slice down about 80-85% of the way, but DO NOT cut through
Repeat all the way across the whole cucumber, at 2-3mm intervals and at the same consistent angl
Roll the cucumber to the opposide side
Repeat steps 2 and 3, but this time cutting straight (perpendicular to the cucumber)
Practical Tips
Get a relatively straight cucumber
Get a sharp knife
Place chopsticks on either side to make sure you don’t cut all the way through — this is great for the first few tries, but personally I find it a bit of a hassle
Grate away 1cm strips on both sides, to make sure your cucumber doesn’t roll, and to anchor your rotation (so when you flip sides it’s exactly 180 degrees)
What knife to use? Easier to cut uniformly down with a Chinese cleaver; easier to control your force with a chef’s knife
WHY does it work? What angle is best?
It works because the off-axis cut (step 2) strides multiple straight cuts (step 5) so that your 85% depth slices, though allowing extension, remain intertwined and stays one piece.
(Thought experiments: cut both sides straight, i.e. 90 degrees off-axis cut; or cut one side horizontally i.e. 180 degrees.)
You can tweak the outcome by adjusting your knife angles, but it also depends on the diameter of your cucumber and the width of your cut. The equation below shows how you can calculate the number of overlapping cuts.
So what effect does the number of overlapping slices have?
The more overlapping slices, the more sturdy the final structure, BUT, this will also mean less maximum extension. I did some experiments and the results are as below. I would suggest 45 degrees to start with, and then moving to 60 once you have had a few more goes.
Finally, 2-3mm is a great slice width to start with. With time you can totally go thinner, but bear in mind this will also make your cucumber more fragile so it may snap.
Assembly Notes
After cutting:
Salt your cucumber, and let it rest for at least 20 minutes
Drain liquid, you can also squeeze the cucumber to dehydrate it more, but it is quite fragile so I only do this if i make small chunks rather than a whole one
Cover in marinade, rest for at least 30 minutes for it to soak up flavour before serving
Serve as is, or with a drizzle of sesame oil, or add chilli powder/chopped garlic and pour-over with hot oil
You can also store in the fridge in a sealed container for a couple of days
What to marinate it with?
For the marinade, this is mostly to taste, and you can borrow any from your fav smacked cucumber salad. I think other styles of dressing such as lemon and dill would work too.
If you want my go-to recipe, it’s usually 1 part vinegar (white wine or any Asian-style), 1 part water (enough liquid to cover the cucumber), 3-5 cloves chopped garlic, 2 sliced birds eye chillis, handful Sichuan peppercorn, then sugar/salt to taste.
THAT’S IT.
Afterword
The fancy cutting may look a bit daunting at first, but hopefully this blog has helped to break it down for you and encouraged you to give this a go :)
Once you master the basic technique and undertand the maths behind it, it’s actually SO FUN to make. The process is bit like meditation — surprisingly soothing and therapeutic.
As always, THANK YOU for reading, have fun, and let me know how it goes!