Szechuan Pickled Cucumber and Black Shiitakes

Name: Szechuan Pickled Cucumber and Black Shiitakes
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns; 1 cup peanut oil; 6 tablespoons sea salt; 7 small cucumbers, cut lengthwise into quarters; 2½ tablespoons light soy sauce; 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar; 5 tablespoons sugar; 10 dried red chillies; 20 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and finely sliced; 1 large knob ginger, shredded

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Simply Asian

By Neil Perry

Published 2000

About

This pickle is simple to make and terrific to have on hand as an accompaniment to rice and other dishes (it will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks). This flavour is the foundation of rockpool’s famous duck and scallop salad.

Ingredients

7 small cucumbers, cut lengthwise into quarters
6 tablespoons sea salt
1 cup

Snack
Preserve
Starter
Side dish
Vegan

Method

Put the cucumber into a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the salt, mixing well. Stand for 1 hour to draw out any bitter juices, then rinse well under cold running water and drain.

In a wok, heat the oil until smoking, add the peppercorns and chillies and cook until blackened. Add the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, mushrooms and, finally, cucumber. Stir for a minute or two.