Cucumbers With Soy Sesame Dressing Food

CUCUMBERS WITH SOY-SESAME DRESSING

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the rice vinegar, peanut oil, soy sauce, sesame oil and crushed red pepper and sugar (if using) and whisk well.
• Add cucumbers and red onion, and toss them in dressing.
• Cover and refrigerate for an hour or up to 24 hours.
• To serve, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chopped cilantro.
• Can be served chilled or at room temperature.

COOL SESAME CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Slice the cucumber into thin rounds. Put them into a bowl and toss them with the soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, mint leaves and salt, to taste.

SMASHED CUCUMBER AND WATERMELON SALAD

Steps:

• Partially peel the cucumbers in strips and cut in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds. Firmly smash the cucumber pieces with the flat side of a cleaver or large knife (or a rolling pin) until the cucumbers split in half naturally. Pull apart the 2 sides of the cucumbers along the natural split. Cut the cucumbers into 1-inch pieces diagonally.
• Toss together the cucumbers and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl. Let sit at room temperature until the cucumbers have released some liquid, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, add the neutral oil and shallots to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are mostly browned, about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool, about 20 minutes (the shallots will continue to brown).
• When the shallot oil mixture is cool, stir in the following ingredients in this order: the lime zest, Chinese black vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the sesame seeds, the red chile and lime juice until the sugar is dissolved; set aside.
• Drain the cucumbers and dry them with a paper towel. Toss the cucumbers, watermelon, cilantro and mint in the lime-soy dressing and transfer to a plate. Garnish with the remaining toasted sesame seeds and additional cilantro and mint.

JAPANESE-STYLE CUCUMBER SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING

Steps:

• Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon.
• Cut up the cucumber into bite sized pieces. Bash them up a bit with the side of your kitchen knife - this allows the dressing to sink into them.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan, shaking occasionally, until a few seeds pop. Immediately transfer the seeds to a plate (if you leave them in the pan they may get burned).
• Mix the lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, dashi stock granules and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved. Taste, and add a pinch of salt if you think it needs it. Add the sesame oil (or you can just drizzle on the sesame oil when you assemble the salad).
• Combine the cucumbers with the dressing and the sesame seeds. Serve right away or leave to marinate in the refrigerator for a stronger flavor.
• Note: If you're using small Japanese cucumbers any other small, immature cucumber, you don't need to de-seed them. Just cut them up and bash a bit. (This bashing thing, is a real cooking method in Japanese cooking. It helps the flavors to penetrate the bashed up vegetable better.).
• If you use white balsamic vinegar instead of the rice or white wine vinegar, you can decrease or even omit the sugar.
• This sesame dressing is very versatile. Try it with any number of vegetables. It's great on a leafy green salad. You can increase the sesame oil if you want it to have a richer sesame flavor. Add some chili pepper flakes to make it spicy, and/or some grated garlic for a more Korean-tasting twist.Add some shredded poached chicken breast to the cucumbers for a more substantial salad.

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.

SESAME-GINGER CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• For dressing, mix first 7 ingredients. Trim ends and cut cucumbers crosswise into 3-in. sections. Cut sections into julienne strips., To serve, toss cucumbers with sesame seeds and dressing. Sprinkle with green onions.

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.