Smashed cucumber, peppery rau ram and fresh mint are tossed with a dressing of lime, fish sauce and chili. Toasted rice adds a nutty aroma and a delicate, dry crunch.
This salad is a modern combination built around flavors that pair well with Vietnamese herbs and seasonings: fresh lime, savory fish sauce, chili and rau ram. It isn’t a firmly established classic with a single prescribed recipe, but a light salad in which each of those ingredients has a clear role. Serve it as a side dish with grilled chicken, pork or tofu, or put it on the table with other small dishes. The fresh acidity and herbs balance out anything that comes off the grill.
Smashing the cucumbers here is about more than making them smaller. A few gentle taps with a rolling pin or the flat side of a knife let the cucumber split along its natural fault lines. This leaves you with irregular pieces with firm edges that take up the dressing better than smooth, thin slices. Don’t smash them too hard: mushy cucumber loses its juicy bite. If the cucumbers are exceptionally large and have lots of seeds, you can scoop out the watery center first.
Rau ram, also known as Vietnamese coriander, has a distinct peppery, herby flavor that differs from regular coriander. Mint makes the salad fresher without overpowering the rau ram. Pick the leaves from the coarse stems of both herbs and add them only when the cucumber is ready to serve; this helps preserve their aroma and color. If rau ram isn’t available, use mint with coriander leaves. That’s a practical substitute, but the salad will be milder and will lack some of its characteristic herbal flavor.
The rice is toasted dry until the grains are golden and smell nutty. Let it cool before grinding: warm rice can break unevenly in a mortar and cause condensation in a grinder. Grind the grains into a fine, slightly grainy powder, not flour. Sprinkle it over the salad just before eating. You can add it earlier, too, but the powder absorbs moisture and loses its dry, delicate bite. Taste the dressing before tossing; fish sauce varies in saltiness by brand, and chili varies in heat. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator and preferably eat them within a day: the cucumber will still taste good, though its texture will soften.
Heat the jasmine rice in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat. Stir regularly for 5–7 minutes, until the grains are golden and smell nutty. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely.
Grind the cooled rice in a mortar or clean spice grinder to a fine, slightly grainy powder. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the chili.
Wash and dry the cucumbers. Place them on a cutting board and smash them with a rolling pin or the flat side of a large knife, using a few gentle taps. Then cut or break them into bite-sized pieces.
Put the cucumber in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Tear the mint and rau ram roughly and fold them into the salad just before serving.
Arrange the salad on a platter and sprinkle with the toasted rice powder just before eating.
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