Recipe: Sam Mannering's Sichuan-style cucumber salad

Sam Mannering05:00, Jan 22 2017

Jason Creaghan
This simple salad delivers big flavours for very little effort. Just make sure you choose a firm crisp cucumber.

I first went to Sichuan Province in China in my early 20s. The food there is astonishing. Everything seems to revolve around the mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorn. I've developed a heavy addiction to it.

This is classic Sichuanese and I'm pretty sure it's what changed my mind about cucumbers. I love the contrasts – sweet, sour and pinging heat; the crisp coolness of the cucumber; the rich fragrant generosity of the sesame oil. That and the fact that it's just about the easiest salad in existence. I think it's perfect for this time of year.

Adjust the chilli and Sichuan pepper to your liking. Choose a cucumber that is firm and crisp – anything watery and soft won't work. The fresh crunch is so much of what makes this wonderful.

SICHUAN-STYLE CUCUMBER SALAD
Serves 4 as a side dish
Prep time: 5 minutes

1 large telegraph cucumber
1 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp soft brown sugar or palm sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp Chinese chilli paste
½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, roughly crushed
small handful coriander

Peel cucumber and halve lengthways. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the watery pips. Cut cucumber into rustic 1cm slices on the diagonal and place in a bowl.

Combine remaining ingredients, except for the coriander, in a small bowl and taste. If you think it needs a little more of something, be it sweet, sour, salt, or heat, adjust accordingly with a bit more sugar, soy sauce, vinegar or chilli.

Combine with chopped cucumber, scatter coriander over the top and serve.

Stuff