Dish of California Quick Cucumbers
(click to enlarge)

California Quick Cucumbers


California

Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
1-1/2 cups
*
7 min
Yes
A delicious crunchy Cucumber Salad, ready to serve in just a few minutes - California Fusion Cuisine - see Back Story

14
-----
1/2
2
2
1/2
2/3
-----

oz
---
t
T
T
T
t
---

Cucumbers (1)
-- Dressing
Salt
Rice Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil, dark  
Chili Flake (2)
------------

Make   -   (7 min)
  1. Slice CUCUMBERS thin, but they need not be super thin, up to 3/16 inch (4.8 mm).
  2. Mix in all Dressing items, tumbling to evenly distribute Chili Flakes.
  3. Serve cool, including enough of the Dressing in each bowl to act as a dip.
NOTES:
  1. Cucumbers:

      These should be Persian Cukes, or some other unwaxed variety that doesn't need peeling or seeding (Japanese, European, English, Korean). If all you have is the standard waxed blimps, you'll have to peel them, and maybe seed them. Weight would be after peeling and seeding.
  2. Chili Flake:

      This should be a fine Korean flake, which is (usually) only moderately hot. 3/4 teaspoon should be fine for most people, though I'd use at least a teaspoon for myself. For details see our Korean / Japanese Chilis page.
  3. Back Story:

      I had completed a very fine Korean Radish Salad. It used quite a bit of Fish Sauce, and I wanted to include a vegetarian option. I decided on half Aged Rice Vinegar and half Soy Sauce. I decided to try it on some Persian Cucumbers I had on hand, and included two other ingredients from the Korean salad: Dark Sesame Oil and Korean Chili Flake. It took me only seconds to decide this was my favorite cucumber salad ever. As with any very simple dish, quality of the ingredients is paramount. My favorite rice vinegar is Kong Yen Foods Aged (unseasoned) from Taiwan.
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
9gv_cukcalq1 201231 ajg   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@aaxnet.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page is permitted.