Chinese Pickled Cucumbers 酱黄瓜 Recipes

CHINESE PICKLED CUCUMBER (A QUICK PICKLE RECIPE)

Steps:

• Add cucumber into a big bowl. Sprinkle salt over the sliced cucumbers and gently toss them with your hands so the cucumbers are evenly coated. Rest for 30 minutes to an hour, tossing them occasionally.
• Once the cucumbers are done resting, drain off the liquid that has collected in the bottom of the container and gently rinse the cucumbers with cold water to remove the excess salt. Place the rinsed cucumbers and garlic cloves into a heat-proof, sealable container or mason jars. Make sure to arrange the cucumbers to be packed together, without too much excess space between them.
• Heat the sichuan peppercorns and dried chilis over medium-low heat in a small pot. Toss the spices until fragrant, around 1 minute.
• Once the spices are fragrant add the vinegar, water, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
• Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers until they are completely covered.
• Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature and seal the container.
• Let the cucumbers pickle overnight in the fridge and enjoy!

CHINESE SMASHED CUCUMBERS WITH SESAME OIL AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Rinse cucumbers and pat dry. Cut crosswise into pieces about 4 inches long. Cut each piece in half lengthwise.
• On a work surface, place a piece of cucumber (or several) cut side down. Lay the blade of a large knife flat on top the cucumber and smash down lightly with your other hand. The skin will begin to crack, the flesh will break down and the seeds will separate. Repeat until the whole piece is smashed. Break or slice diagonally into bite-size pieces, leaving the seeds behind.
• Place the cucumber pieces in a strainer and toss with a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of sugar. Place a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the cucumbers to serve as a weight and place the strainer over a bowl. Let drain 15 to 30 minutes on the counter, or in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar and rice vinegar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in sesame oil and soy sauce.
• When ready to serve, shake cucumbers well to drain off any remaining liquid and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with grapeseed or olive oil and toss. Add half the dressing, half the garlic and the red pepper flakes to taste, and toss. Keep adding dressing until cucumbers are well coated but not drowned. Taste and add more pepper flakes and garlic if needed. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds.