This one's for everyone who's tired of eating raw cucumbers. I just found some Persian cucumbers for 69cent/lb at my nearest 99 Ranch and figured it was time to put them to good use.
This recipe is super simple: slice the cucumbers nicely thin, sprinkle with salt, and let them sit for about 5 minutes to draw out water. While waiting, prep the sauce in a bowl: one spoon of salt, a pinch of sugar, a spoon of vinegar, a spoon of soy sauce, a bit of cornstarch, and some water to mix until it turns a light brown.
Rinse the cucumbers and gently squeeze out the remaining moisture. Heat some oil, then add Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili. Let them cook until the peppercorns turn brown. Toss in the cucumbers and stir fry for a minute. Add the sauce, give the wok a few good tosses so the sauce is evenly coated, and serve.
The result: a flavorful combination of light numbing and spicy, catchy sweetness and sourness, slightly burnt depth added from the toasted peppers, with just a touch of the taste of cucumber, goes really well with rice.
by Old-as-tale
3 Comments
Recipe: 1. Salt cucumbers, rest 5 min.
2. Mix sauce: salt, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, water.
3. Rinse and squeeze cucumbers.
4. Heat oil, fry peppercorns and chili until browned.
5. Add cucumbers, stir-fry 1 min.
6. Add sauce, toss to coat.
Looks good! Thank you for the recipe
I bought too many this month as they’ve been really cheap (less than half-price 3-packs) here. I feel ya. I had fresh ginger and a bunch of fresh mint that needed using so I made cucumber water after I had made all the salads I could stand. Down to my last half of one. Debated whether to try cooking them or not – you’re braver than I was.