Pickled Cucumbers With Sichuan Peppers Recipes

CHINESE PICKLED CUCUMBERS (酱黄瓜)

Steps:

• Rinse off the cucumbers and wipe them dry. Trim off both ends, and cut each cucumber into 4 equal sections. Cut each section into 6 equal-sized strips. Transfer to a bowl and add ½ teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• At the same time, make the sauce by combining 2 ½ teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon black vinegar, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce, 2 bay leaves, 4 cloves of garlic, and the chili peppers. Stir and make sure the sugar and salt are completed dissolved.
• Once the cucumber has marinated for 1 hour in the fridge, dump out the liquid from the bowl they were sitting in. You should be able to get rid of at least ¼ cup of liquid. Now add the prepared sauce, and mix everything well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. The cucumbers should be ready to serve the next morning with a hot bowl of congee!

SICHUAN'S NATURALLY FERMENTED PICKLES (PAO CAI)

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil and remove from heat. Add salt and sugar and stir to dissolve. Let cool to room temperature, and add liquor. You can refrigerate to speed up the process. Taste the brine to make sure the taste is pleasing to you and adjust accordingly.
• Wash vegetables and cut them into large bite-size pieces. Larger pieces are best for a Chinese pickling jar, so that they are caught under the jar's "shoulders" and held beneath the brine-though they have to be small enough to retrieve through the narrow neck of the jar. Dry the vegetables well and add to your clean, dry pickle jar, along with the ginger and Sichuan peppercorns (if using).
• Add brine to the jar almost to the top, being careful to put larger vegetables on top and tuck them under the jar's shoulders. It's ok if a few float to the top; if you have the right brine concentration and keep most veg under the brine, you should not have to weigh them down. Top off brine, replace lid and add water to the moat. (If using a Weck jar, use only the clips and not the rubber seal; if using a Mason jar, just screw lid on loosely, allowing an escape route for the gases.) Refrigerate any extra brine.
• Store the jar in a cool, dark place such as a pantry or cupboard to ferment. It's important to not let the moat go dry. Add water every few days as it evaporates to keep moat about half-way full. Sample the vegetables every day or two to check their sourness. Use clean chopsticks or long-handled spoon to remove vegetables, as your hands can contaminate the ferment. Top off brine if it is not above the vegetables. Cabbage can take as little as 1 day, while green beans and other vegetables take 5 to 7 days or longer, depending on the size of the vegetables, the room temperature and the desired sourness. Expect the vegetables to lose their bright colors as they ferment, but not their crunch or taste!
• When the brine begins to bubble, turns cloudy and takes on the color of the vegetables in it, then you know that fermentation has started. If using a larger jar or pickle crock, monitor it for the white yeast film that can occur naturally on the surface in lacto-fermentation and remove any that occurs. As you use the pickles, replenish the crock with more salt water, liquor, seasonings and vegetables. Reuse the brine for as long as it tastes fresh and pleasing and not rotty. Sichuan picklers can keep a brine going for years!

SZECHUAN PICKLED CUCUMBER SLICES

Steps:

• 1. Cut the ends off the cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and use a small spoon to remove the seeds in the middle. Cut lengthwise into thin strips. Place in a colander, sprinkle the salt over and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
• 2. Heat the sesame oil on medium heat. Stir in the peppercorn. Stir for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in the ginger and the hot chili oil.
• 3. Turn the heat down and carefully add the red rice vinegar. Stir in the sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and stir in the cucumbers.
• 4. Transfer to a dish, cover and refrigerate overnight or 2 days. Toss again before serving.

PICKLED CUCUMBERS WITH SICHUAN PEPPERS

Steps:

• Slice cucumbers to ½ inch thickness. Add salt, mix, and let it sit at room temperature for one hour. Move cucumbers to colander to drain as you work on the pickling sauce.
• Add olive oil to the pan and adjust the temperature to high heat. Slice the garlic and ginger and add to the pan when it begins to get warm. Right before the garlic and ginger begin to fry in the oil, add sichuan peppers, anise, shoyu, and vinegar. Stir until it begins to get warm again, then adjust the temperature to low (Mom put it at 3 on the dial).
• Add sugar to the pan. Stir until it dissolves (about 30 seconds). Adjust the temperature to high and bring to a boil, then turn the stove off. Optional: Add chili pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce at this time. Let the sauce cool on the stove for about 15 minutes.
• Squeeze the excess water out of the cucumbers with your hands. The more water you can get out, the better crunch and taste you'll get. Transfer cucumbers to a large bowl.
• Pour pickling sauce directly onto cucumbers. Allow pickling sauce to soak into cucumbers for at least 2 hours at room temperature before eating. Store in the fridge. Best eaten when cold.

PICKLED CUCUMBERS AND RED ONION

Steps:

• Using a mandoline or sharp knife, finely slice the cucumbers and red onion. Put in a mixing bowl with the dill sprigs and a pinch of salt while you prepare the pickling solution.
• In a small pot over medium heat, combine white vinegar, sugar, allspice and salt. Stir well until the liquid is simmering and the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour pickling liquid over red onion and cucumbers and stir to ensure everything is evenly coated. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap (press the plastic wrap down onto the cucumbers so there is no air) and refrigerate. Chill for at least 4 hours to cool completely before serving.

PICKLED CUCUMBER AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a non-reactive pot over a medium heat stir the rice vinegar, sugar and salt and 3 tablespoons water until the sugar and salt are dissolved and the liquid is clear. Cool the liquid. Mix the cucumber and pepper with the pickling liquid let sit for 30 minutes.

QUICK PICKLED CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Toss the cucumber ribbons with the salt in a colander. Leave for 15 mins then squeeze out any excess moisture with your hands and pat the ribbons dry with a tea towel.
• Mix the other ingredients together in a small bowl then stir in the cucumber.

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.