Shanghai Cucumbers

Shanghai cucumbers

This past Sunday, mom and I met in Indy for lunch and kitchen appliance shopping/dreaming.  Just us two girls.  We had lunch at P.F. Chang’s.  It was a rare treat, seeing as how I live in the boonies and usually have at least one of my two boys with me.  I love everything on the menu at Chang’s, and they have a lot of options I don’t feel guilty about eating.  I usually order chicken lettuce wraps, wonton soup, and a newly-discovered item I am in love with – Shanghai cucumbers.

These bite-sized, crunchy, cold, briney, nutty nuggets of refreshing cucumber are perfect for snacking or serving as a side dish.  Yes, they do have a bit of sodium thanks to the soy sauce, but virtually no calories!   I just happened to have an English cucumber in my refrigerator, so I went to work today trying to duplicate P.F. Chang’s recipe.  They do not use English cucumbers in their recipe, but I prefer them and the results were delicious.  For an extra kick, I added just a few drops of Sriracha sauce.  Not enough to give noticeable heat, but extra flavor.  These went great with a bowl of hot brown rice and some left-over grilled chicken from the night before.  Yum!

Recipe for Shanghai Cucumbers:

Ingredients:

1 English cucumber, washed

2 tsp.  sesame seeds

2 T soy sauce

1 T apple cider  vinegar (preferably Bragg’s)

1 tsp. sesame oil

few drops of Sriracha Thai hot chili sauce

 

Directions:

Slice cucumber lengthwise in half.  Slice each half lengthwise again so you get a total of four long cucumber strips.  Slice each strip into one-inch chunks and set aside in a medium bowl.  In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until slightly golden.  This will only take about 4 minutes.  Be careful not to neglect the sesame seeds, as they burn quickly.  In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, and Sriracha sauce.  Pour this over the cucumbers and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately or allow to marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or two for more flavorful cucumbers.