Quick Cucumber Cold Dish
This quick cucumber cold dish is a regional appetizer or side dish popular at Shanghainese restaurants. It’s easy to put together but cool and refreshing. It is also vegan, low carb, and diabetic-friendly making it a powerhouse for healthy eating. There are a few variations of this recipe out there—if you smash the cucumbers instead of cutting, it’s called smashed cucumber while if you cut it, it’s called cold marinated cucumber.
They say the most important thing to make a dish taste good is getting good and fresh ingredients, so make sure you spring for young cucumbers or English cucumbers that are also organic so that it isn’t tough and doesn’t get soggy in the quick pickling process. Don’t use American cucumbers as the skin can be tough and too many seeds.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t store well, so it’s definitely a dish you should make and eat the day of.
Ingredients
- 1 organic English cucumber, cut in thirds, then sliced into quarters, skin on
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon organic sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon organic apple juice
- 2 tablespoons organic rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar if you don’t have)
- ¼ organic red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 clove organic garlic, minced
- (Optional) 1 teaspoon organic alternative soy sauce/liquid amino
Directions
- Combine the vinegar, apple juice, sesame oil, minced garlic, and liquid amino (if using) in a bowl.
- Toss cucumbers and julienned pepper in the marinade and allow to sit for about 10 minutes in the fridge to chill. Best served cold and on a hot summer’s day!