Cucumber Salad With Soy Ginger And Garlic 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.

CUCUMBER SALAD WITH SOY, GINGER AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Sprinkle the cucumbers with a generous amount of salt and let sit in a colander in the sink for 15 minutes. Rinse and dry on a kitchen towel. Transfer to a salad bowl.
• Whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, cayenne, and pepper. Whisk in the sesame oil and the sunflower or grapeseed oil. Toss with the cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro. Chill until ready to serve.

ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Mix 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl. Toss with 1 pound sliced Persian cucumbers, 2 sliced scallions, 1/4 cup cilantro, 2 tablespoons sliced pickled ginger, 1/2 finely chopped red jalapeno and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds.

GARLIC CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Lay cucumber on a cutting board and place the flat side of a large knife on top. Proceed to hammer on the knife, smashing the cucumber. Continue this along the whole cucumber. This process allows for better flavour absorption.
• Chop cucumber coarsely into half-inch pieces and place in a coupe-shaped bowl (so sauce will cover all pieces and not just the bottom ones) .
• Add pressed garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, chicken broth, sesame oil and sugar and stir until mixed. Let stand 5 minutes. Voila! A masterpiece!

GARLIC-GINGER CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Quarter cucumbers lengthwise (if longer than 3 inches, halve crosswise first). Toss with sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Drain, then toss with rice vinegar and soy sauce.
• Heat safflower oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Add ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Pour over cucumbers; toss to combine. Season again, if desired. Transfer to a serving dish, discarding liquid. Top with sesame seeds and a few drops of chili oil.

SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Slice the cucumber in half lengthways and use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds. Slice cucumber into thick diagonal chunks. Tip it into a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, vinegar and large pinch of salt. Leave for about 30 mins in the fridge. Meanwhile, tip the other salad ingredients into a bowl. Drain the cucumber and tip in with the rest of the ingredients.
• Heat a griddle pan or heavy-bottomed frying pan until hot, but not smoking. Rub the chicken with oil, season with salt and pepper and sear, skin-side down, for about 8 mins until the skin is crisp and brown and the chicken is practically cooked. Flip the chicken over and give it a few mins more on the flesh side to finish it off. Leave the chicken to rest, then slice each breast on an angle and serve with a pile of cucumber salad.

CUCUMBER & ENOKI SALAD

Steps:

• Peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
• Slice cucumber very thinly and place in a bowl.
• Mix together the vinegar, ginger, garlic, sugar and soy, whisk well.
• Pour vinegar mixture over the cukes& toss to coat, setaside.
• Combine the lettuce, enoki, peas and radishes in a salad bowl toss with oil, lemon juice and pepper to taste.
• Add cucumbers and toss again.
• Serve.