Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad

One of my all-time favorite Chinese side dishes is also one of the easiest dishes to make: smashed cucumber salad, drizzled with fragrant hot chili oil, cool and crisp and so refreshingly addictive. On a hot summer day, it's like a spicy-savory equivalent of slices of cold, juicy watermelon: hydrating for the soul, quenching thirst and hunger in one go. Bonus: You get to smash out a little bit of that pent-up anger inside in the process! The resulting uneven, craggy texture of split cucumbers is perfect for grabbing and holding on to that delicious, seasoned oil.

For a super quick version, you can substitute in your favorite store-bought chili oil or chili crisp, but if you have a little more time on your hands—we're talking an extra 10 minutes here—you can make your own chili oil with just a few ingredients. The MSG is optional, but...it just won't be the same. If you're scared of the ingredient, maybe you'd get a kick out of watching me eat my way through a whole day of MSG.