What We’re Cooking This Week: Spicy Smashed Cucumbers

Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for far more than 20 many years, but these times most of his time is invested at his olive oil-targeted specialty foodstuff organization Wellspent Current market. Jim’s generally beloved to try to eat, and he encourages his consumers to prepare dinner by sending them recipes each 7 days through his e-newsletter. We’re delighted to have him again developing some unique dishes just for WW readers.

Cooks in Asia have been smashing cucumbers eternally, and the broken bits had been commonly dressed with rice vinegar and sesame oil and at times soy and garlic. Even though the smashing section adds a novel technique to your meals prep repertoire, it also generates irregular, craggy bits of the tender cuke that hold on to dressing superior than easy slices.

When any cucumber can be smashed, the violence works best with the thinner skins of the so-termed burpless varieties, ordinarily labeled English, Persian, or Japanese. I don’t know any person who complains of abnormal burping from taking in cukes, but these have decreased levels of a chemical compound known as cucurbitacin. It is found on the skin, and some individuals believe it prospects to burpiness. But the much more typical slicers discovered in produce sections have thick skins that are waxed to prolong storage daily life, and I believe they’re way too hard.

Although you can smash every single cuke independently with the flat side of a major knife, it’s easier to place a bunch in a plastic bag and use a much larger, blunt force object. This also keeps bits of cucumber particles from traveling close to the kitchen. Once smashed, I like to chop the cukes into extra bite-sized parts, and then they’re prepared for your beloved dressing.

This spicy salad mimics Cochon’s, my favourite New Orleans restaurant. The kitchen there takes advantage of a dressing spiked with a jarred Hunan-model chile sauce known as Heavenly Chef, but most of us previously have a bottle of Sriracha in the fridge, and it presents a very similar capsaicin warmth.

5-6 Persian-style cucumbers*

1/2 teaspoon kosher-fashion salt, in addition far more to flavor

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

6-8 sprigs of mint, chopped

1 tablespoon Sriracha-fashion chile sauce

*or any burpless selection, enough to give about 4 cups of smashed items

Trim any stems from the cucumbers, spot them in a plastic develop bag, and smash them with anything significant (a tiny solid iron skillet, rolling pin, empty wine bottle, or comparable blunt force object). Dump the smashed cukes onto a reducing board and use a significant knife to lower them into bite-sized items.

Transfer to a colander placed more than a bowl, toss with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and let drain for 20 minutes (the somewhat salty cucumber drinking water is excellent for cocktails, try it with a minimal gin). Transfer the drained cucumbers to a bowl and toss with the relaxation of the components. Style and insert far more salt as desired. Serve chilled.