sprinkled with a little salt, they are simultaneously
savory and refreshing. They’re fantastic marinated
overnight in a little soy sauce, sesame oil, and red
pepper flakes; the salt in the soy sauce will draw out
some of their liquid, so they get a superconcentrated
flavor.
As a stir-fry ingredient, cucumbers are one of the
most underused.
Oddly enough, cucumbers are one of the two
foods my wife can’t stand (the other is tomatoes), so
chicken stir-fried with cucumbers, fermented bean
paste, and Sichuan peppercorns is one of my quick,
easy, and delicious go-to staples when she’s out on a
girls’ night.
While you can certainly simply slice whole cukes
into salads, peeling and seeding them helps you make
the most of their flavor and texture.
Shopping and Storage
In the supermarket, you’re usually faced with three
choices:
- American cucumbers are dense fleshed and
flavorful. They have thicker skins than most
other cucumbers, so I recommend removing it.
In any case, definitely give them a good scrub
under cool running water to remove some of the
food-grade wax that they usually come coated
in. They also have lots of watery seeds that