saw this on cooks illustrated site. Looks like it might be tasty for those, reb cough cough, who like cucumbers.
Chinese Smashed Cucumbers
By Keith Dresser•Published June 6, 2017
Watch Every Step
For a refreshing new take on cucumber salad, put down your knife and pick up a skillet.
Get the RecipeSmashed Cucumbers (Pai Huang Gua)
What Success Would Look Like
Smashed, not sliced, cucumbers
Crisp texture with few seeds
A complexly flavored dressing
My longtime definition of cucumber salad—cool, crisp slices tossed with a tangy vinaigrette or a sour cream dressing—was recently upended when, at a Sichuan restaurant, I was presented with a plate of large, craggy, skin-on cucumber pieces sparingly coated with dressing. The cukes had a crunchy, almost pickle-like texture and hinted at garlic and sesame, with mild acidity and touches of sweetness and salinity. The simple preparation proved to be an ideal accompaniment to the rich, spicy food.
The dish, called pai huang gua, is drop-dead easy to make. Smash the cukes with a skillet or rolling pin (or, as is traditional, with the flat side of a Chinese cleaver). Once they’re smashed, tear them into rough pieces and briefly salt them to expel excess water. Finally, dress the chunks with a quick vinaigrette of soy sauce, vinegar, minced garlic, and sesame oil.
To unlock the humble cucumbers’ full potential, we first had to rough them up a bit.
Why smash the cukes? I found a couple of reasons. The first was speed. When I treated equal amounts of smashed versus chopped cucumbers with salt and measured the amount of liquid each batch exuded, the smashed cucumbers were crisp and had lost about 5 percent of their water weight after only 15 minutes. It took the chopped cucumbers four times as long to shed the same amount of water.
The neatest way to smash cucumbers: Cut the cucumbers into thirds and place them in a zipper-lock bag before gently pounding them with a small skillet or rolling pin.
The second benefit was textural. Smashing breaks up the vegetable in a haphazard way that exposes more surface area than chopping or slicing, so more vinaigrette can adhere. A colleague compared dressing smooth-cut cucumbers to spilling water on a laminate floor—virtually nothing was absorbed. The smashed cucumbers, on the other hand, acted like a shag carpet, sucking up almost every drop.
Chinese Black Vinegar
Black vinegar is made primarily from rice and wheat bran and is aged in earthenware crocks to develop complexity. Products labeled “black vinegar” range greatly in flavor. We prefer vinegars labeled ,[object Object], (or ,[object Object],), which are similar from brand to brand.Black vinegar is made primarily from rice and wheat bran and is aged in earthenware crocks to develop complexity. Products labeled “black vinegar” range greatly in flavor. We prefer vinegars labeled Chinkiang (or Zhenjiang), which are similar from brand to brand.
As for the best type of cuke, I dismissed American cucumbers, finding their thick, wax-coated skins too tough. That left nearly seedless English cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, or small Persian cucumbers. All had thin, crisp skins, but the pickling type can have a lot of seeds and the Persian type lacked a thick layer of flesh and was therefore missing the refreshing crispness of the English variety, my ultimate choice.
English cucumbers are readily available and lack the waxy coating that can make American cucumbers tough and bitter-tasting.
Regarding the dressing, soy sauce, garlic, and toasted sesame oil provided a complex base that I accented with sugar, but what really made it special was Chinese black vinegar, which is made by fermenting rice.
After a series of recipe iterations, we finally had a new standard for cucumber salad.
Finally, I whipped up a spicy chili oil for drizzling when serving the cucumbers with a mild entrée. And there I had it: an all-new (and more interesting) take on cucumber salad.
Smashed Cucumbers (Pai Huang Gua)
Published July 2017
Why This Recipe Works
Smashed cucumbers, or pai huang gua, is a Sichuan dish that is typically served with rich, spicy food. We started with English cucumbers, which are nearly seedless and have thin, crisp skins. Placing them in a zipper-lock bag and smashing them into large, irregular pieces sped up a salting step that helped expel excess water. The craggy pieces also did a better job of holding on to the dressing. Using black vinegar, an aged rice-based vinegar, added a mellow complexity to the soy and sesame dressing.
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Watch Every Step
Ingredients
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2 (14-ounce) English cucumbers
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic, minced to paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
Serves 4
We recommend using Chinese Chinkiang (or Zhenjiang) black vinegar in this dish for its complex flavor. If you can’t find it, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. A rasp-style grater makes quick work of turning the garlic into a paste. We like to drizzle the cucumbers with Sichuan Chili Oil when serving them with milder dishes such as grilled fish or chicken.
1. Trim and discard ends from cucumbers. Cut each cucumber crosswise into three equal lengths. Place pieces in large zipper-lock bag and seal bag. Using small skillet or rolling pin, firmly but gently smash cucumbers until flattened and split lengthwise into 3 to 4 spears each. Tear spears into rough 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to colander set in large bowl. Toss cucumbers with salt and let stand for at least 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes.
2. While cucumbers sit, whisk vinegar and garlic together in small bowl; let stand for at least 5 minutes or up to 15 minutes.
3. Whisk soy sauce, oil, and sugar into vinegar mixture until sugar has dissolved. Transfer cucumbers to medium bowl and discard any extracted liquid. Add dressing and sesame seeds to cucumbers and toss to combine. Serve immediately
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