Chinese Pickled Cucumbers 酱黄瓜 Food

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.

CHINESE STYLE SPICY PICKLED CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Toss the cucumber wedges with the salt and let them stand in a bowl for 20 minutes.
• Drain the cucumbers in a colander, rinse them under cold water, and pat them dry on paper towels.In a bowl dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, stirring, add the cucumbers, and toss them to coat them with the mixture.
• In a small skillet heat the sesame oil and the vegetable oil over moderately high heat until the oil is just smoking, add the gingerroot and the redpepper flakes, and stir fry the mixture for 5 - 10 seconds, or until the red pepper flakes are several shades darker.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and let the oil cool to room termperature.
• Pour the spiced oil over the cucumbers, toss the mixture well and let it marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Refrigerate and cover, stirring occasionally. Use within 5 days.