Try to use the sauce within a week because of the fresh ginger and garlic in the chili oil. I recommend tossing it with noodles or using it to season fried rice or stir fries. You only need 2 tablespoons of the chili oil for the smashed cucumber salad, so you will have leftover chili oil. Let the oil infuse for at least 30 minutes. Do not heat the oil hotter than 350✯ because the gochugaru will burn.Ĭarefully pour the hot oil over the spices. You can use any neutral flavored oil like vegetable, grapeseed, almond, or avocado oil. Then, heat 1/3 cup of oil over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the temperature of the oil reaches 325✯ to 350✯ and the oil looks thin and runny. To make the oil, add all the spices to a heat-proof bowl (ceramic or stainless steel is great). It’s a good size if you don’t use gochugaru often. I also like using Mother-In-Law’s gochugaru because they come in small jars. You can find gochugaru in Korean supermarkets in big bags. More importantly, it turns the chili oil into a beautiful shade of red that is unparalleled. I love using gochugaru for my chili oil because it has a subtle spice and light smoky flavor. I usually buy chili flakes from The Allspicery, which is a Sacramento spice shop. They should have a medium level of spice. The chili flakes are the red pepper flakes that you can find in the spice aisles of your grocery store. I also like using a combination of regular chili flakes (below left) and gochugaru (below right), Korean red pepper flakes (sometimes translated as red pepper powder).
If you’ve made my chili oil before, you’ll know that I like using fresh garlic and ginger to make the oil more fragrant. I like using my homemade chili oil as a component of the sauce for this smashed cucumber salad. In the recipe and the cooking video, I provide directions on salting the cucumbers just in case that’s what people prefer. As a matter of fact, that liquid is great for flavoring jasmine rice. That said, in about 15 minutes, a pool of water will form at the bottom of the salad bowl. I think that I can taste the natural sweetness of the cucumbers better this way. I usually wait until I’m just about to serve dinner before tossing the smashed cucumber pieces with the sauce. I’ll be honest, I often don’t bother to salt the cucumbers beforehand. If you hate watery cucumber salads, then you’ll absolutely want to do this salting step. Then, you let the cucumbers rest for 15 to 20 minutes so that the salt can draw out excess moisture. Most cucumber salad recipes will tell you to toss the cucumbers with a pinch of salt. If you’re using Persian cucumbers, you should be able to smack them whole without having to slice them first.
#Homemade noodle salad skin
Persian cucumbers tend to be smaller and have more tender skin than Japanese cucumbers. The larger surface area of a meat cleaver makes it perfect for this job.
Continue doing this along the length of the cucumber. Using the fleshy part of your palm, smack the knife, until the cucumber starts to split. Place the side of your knife over the cucumber. Then, place the cucumbers, cut side down. That’s why I recommend slicing the cucumber in half lengthwise. Because of the thickness, they can be difficult to smack whole with a knife. Japanese cucumbers can be quite thick, especially ones that I find at the farmers market. If Japanese cucumbers are not easy to find, use Persian or English cucumbers. You can also find them in Japanese grocery stores like Oto’s Marketplace. I usually buy Japanese cucumbers at the Sacramento farmers markets. I find Persian and English cucumbers a bit bland nowadays. Personally, I think Japanese cucumbers taste the best because they have a subtle sweet flavor. That’s why Persian, Japanese, or English (hot house) cucumbers work great for this smashed cucumber salad recipe. When making cucumber salads, I like using cucumbers with tender seeds.
#Homemade noodle salad how to
HOW TO MAKE CHINESE SMASHED CUCUMBER SALAD SELECTING CUCUMBERS As a matter of fact, I sometimes just eat the salad with rice for dinner and it’s so satisfying. All these salads are quite similar: raw cucumber pieces tossed with raw garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, and other seasonings.Ĭhinese smashed cucumber salad is a good side dish that’s simple to prepare but delivers in flavor. In some Chinese menus, you might also see cucumber salad referred to as 涼拌黃瓜 ( liang ban huang gua), which literally translates to cool tossed cucumbers. I was pleasantly surprised by how addictive such a simple dish could be. Growing up, I didn’t eat many Chinese dishes that featured raw garlic. It is a simple dish of cucumber pieces tossed with lots of garlic, vinegar, and seasonings. When I lived in China over 10 years ago, I tasted smashed cucumber salad (拍黃瓜, pai huang gua) for the first time.
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