Pickled cucumber with chilli
Prep time less than 30 mins
Cook time less than 30 mins
Serves 4
Dietary Vegetarian
From Exploring China: A Culinary Adventure
My obsession with pickles started when my mother used to send me off to school with a packed lunch of cold rice, pickles and stir-fried meat and vegetables. The pickles add a salty-sour flavour that is very 'xia fan' – they make plain rice more palatable. This delicious recipe is a quick pickling technique, and the pickle should be eaten within a few days while the cucumbers still retain their crunch and freshness.
Method
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Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Add the cucumbers and leave to marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.
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Divide the mixture between small bowls, garnish with the fresh chilli and serve with plain rice and stir-fried vegetables for a light but flavourful dinner.
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You can also make a batch of pickled cucumber and decant into sterilised glass jars, then keep refrigerated for up to one week. Spoon some into a chicken or vegetable stir fry to add flavour.
Ingredients
- 4 small cucumbers, sliced in half lengthways and de-seeded, each half cut into long wedge shapes and then sliced into 1cm/½in pieces
For the marinade
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- 2 pinches of caster sugar
- 1 tbsp Chinese clear rice vinegar (or cider vinegar)
- 1 tsp chilli bean paste
- 1 tsp chilli oil
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
For the garnish
- 1 fresh red chilli, de-seeded and cut into small strips
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