Summer Salad Series: Chilli Bang Bang Cucumber
The weather is starting to warm up here in Australia and that means, summer salads! I love this time of the year and I love making delicious salads with seasonal produce, either as a meal in their own right or as a side. Last month I made Jason one of his favourite dishes, Salt Crusted Salmon with Chilli Bang Bang Cucumber. We often have this cucumber salad as a side to our fish and curries mains. This quick and easy salad to rustle up is super fresh, super light, and it's packed full of flavour, with a smoky spicy punch. It's insane how good this salad is. Seeing as a lot of you on Instagram wanted the recipe, here it is. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 large cucumber
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp szechuan pepper
3 tbsp sesame seeds
3 tbsp black rice vinegar
3 tbsp tamari (soy sauce)
2 tsp sesame oil
Method
Slice the outside of the cucumber with a knife to create grooves - don't slice too deeply. Just enough to scratch through.
"Bang bang" the cucumber with your fist until it's almost flat. Roughly slice the cucumber and place in a bowl. Mix through a heaped pinch of sea salt. Combine the salt with the cucumber with your hands, and set aside for about 5 minutes. This is so the salt soaks through the cucumber juices.
In a pestle and mortar, add chilli flakes and szechuan pepper, and roughly ground together.
In a non-stick frying pan or saucepan, toast the chilli flakes and szechuan pepper with the sesame seeds on medium heat, until the sesame seeds are golden. You'll need to toss/stir regularly You'll also know it's ready when the aromas of the spice start to release. Set aside when ready.
Squeeze the cucumber with your hands to remove excess salty liquid, then transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle the Tamara, vinegar and oil over the cucumber, mix to combine. Sprinkle the toasted spices/sesame seeds on top.
Enjoy!
