Author Notes
This recipe comes from Dawn Perry's new Short Stack, Cucumbers.
It comes with a simple chile oil you can turn to again and again—whether you're looking to spice up ricotta cheese or a margarita pizza or, yes, a bowl of noodles—and a smart trick for accentuating the flavor of your cukes: By salting the sliced cucumbers, you'll draw out the excess liquid, ensuring their crunchiness. But Dawn doesn't throw the cucumber liquid down the drain: instead, she uses it to bolster the dressing with more cucumber flavor. As Dawn puts it, you'll get "big, fresh flavor against the cold, buttery tofu." —Sarah Jampel
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Ingredients
- For the quick chile oil:
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1/4 cup
vegetable oil
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1 teaspoon
red pepper flakes
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1
whole dried chile such as chile de arbol or Calabrian, lightly crushed
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1
medium seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
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Kosher salt
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One 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
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1
garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
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3 tablespoons
soy sauce
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3 tablespoons
rice vinegar
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2 teaspoons
toasted sesame oil
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9 ounces
soba noodles
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14 ounces
silken tofu
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Quick chile oil (from above)
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1 tablespoon
black sesame seeds
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Large handful torn fresh basil leaves
Directions
- For the quick chile oil:
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In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the oil, red pepper flakes, and dried chile. Cook, swirling occasionally, until fragrant and sizzling about 4 minutes.
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Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the oil to a bowl or glass jar; let cool (no need to strain the chile). The oil will keep, tightly sealed in the refrigerator, for a very long time.
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Place the cucumbers in a large bowl and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Set aside, tossing occasionally, until the cucumbers have release some of their liquid, about 15 minutes.
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Drain off any accumulated juices into a separate medium bowl, and whisk in the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and oil. Pour over the cucumbers and toss to combine.
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Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, then drain once more.
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Add the drained soba noodles to the cucumber mixture and toss to combine. Divide the noodles and cucumbers among 4 bowls and top each with a spoonful of tofu. Drizzle each bowl with some of the Quick Chile Oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and basil, and serve.
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