Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid's Spicy Cucumber Salad
The goods.
Mise en place time. Mince that jalapeño. (If you're careful to avoid touching the white interior ribs that hold the spice, you probably don't need to wear gloves.)
Slice lengthwise, stack, slice lengthwise again.
Then mince crosswise; feel sorry for the lonely stem over there.
Peel the cucumber, leaving some thin zebra strips of peel on if you wish. (That way it stays colorful, while letting the dressing seep in from all sides.)
Use the flat side of a cleaver or large knife to "bash" the cucumber pieces several times. If you don't like a splattery mess, interpret "bash" to mean "lean forcefully".
Cut the pieces lengthwise into thinner strips, then cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths. You're looking for bite size.
In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and sugar. If you're using seasoned rice vinegar, skip the sugar.
Pour over the cucumber, mix well, and set aside. The cucumbers will lightly pickle.
Set a wok or skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.
This toasted chile oil clangs with 3 kinds of pepper -- Sichuan, dried Thai chiles, and fresh jalapeno. Stir-fry them for 20-30 seconds.
Pour this over the quick-pickled cucumbers -- they'll drink it in.
With cilantro it's officially a party.
Author Notes: Here's a salad that you can eat right away -- with some grilled fish or lamb with cumin, perhaps -- or it can sit around in the fridge for a few days as a mellow pickle to snack on. Adapted very slightly from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid (Artisan Books, 2000). —Genius Recipes
Serves 4 as a salad or as one of many dishes in a rice meal
- 1 large or 2 medium European cucumbers
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 5 Thai dried chiles, or 3 for milder heat
- 1/2 jalapeño, minced
- 7 Sichuan peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup packed torn cilantro leaves
- Peel the cucumber, leaving some thin strips of peel on if you wish, for a decorative effect. Cut lengthwise into quarters and discard the seeds.
- Use the flat side of a cleaver or large knife to bash the cucumber pieces several times. Cut the pieces lengthwise into thinner strips, then cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths. Place in a medium bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and sugar. Pour over the cucumber, mix well, and set aside.
- Place a wok or skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Toss in the dried chiles, jalapeño, and peppercorns and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds. Pour this over the cucumbers. Sprinkle on the salt and mix well.
- Mound the salad in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle on the cilantro leaves and serve immediately. Note: The traditional way to make this uses 3 tablespoons of oil, giving a well-oiled texture that may be undesirable. If you wish, try both and see which you prefer.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes: Cucumbers|Vegetables|Salads|Side Dishes
about 1 year ago Lizzie Deroy
Amazing dish, even though I was lazy and substituted some Chinese chili-garlic sauce and black pepper in place of the fancy peppers listed. This will be my summer go-to cucumber salad from now on. Thank you for posting the recipe
almost 2 years ago ECMotherwell
I've made this twice to some rapturous responses. A great dish! (Btw, not having dried chiles on hand, I did a whole minced jalepeno and some crushed red pepper flakes. Also, I didn't have Sichaun peppercorns, so subbed a healthy dose of regular whole peppercorns. Will try as written next time I have dried Thai chiles!)
about 2 years ago Swami49
While I liked the flavor of the dish, the two TBS of oil made it greasy. When I cut back to 1 TBS, big improvement.
over 2 years ago Nyborg
Excellent!
about 4 years ago Tatanka
Loved this recipe! Since I didn't have Thai chiles I substituted them for Mexican chile de árbol. I then had to break one of the dried chiles to get the seeds out to get some chile flavor in the cukes. I also used black pepper corns which worked out well.
about 4 years ago Robin Foster
The recipe mentions smashing the cucumber slces with the flat side of a knife, yet the ones in the picture don't look smashed and also seem to have all the peel on . Also, how long before serving can you make this salad?
about 4 years ago AmandaO
When I made it I didn't really smash the cukes, just kind of leaned on them to bruise them a little. I made it again without doing that and it definitely made a difference in picking up the flavors.
about 4 years ago MaureenOnTheCape
This is so delicious it doesn't stand a chance to sit and mellow in the fridge for a few days.
I'm not a big fan of "hot" so I chose the 3 chili option but now wish I had used all 5 as I found no heat at all with 3.
What a novel way to use all the cukes coming to market now. Thank you Jeffrey, Naomi and Food52!