Cucumber salad

CUCUMBER SALAD

Amanda Cohen, Head Chef at Dirt Candy, New York

“This dish says everything there is to say about Dirt Candy all on one plate. We're in Chinatown, hence Sichuan mint oil; it's focused on a lot of different kinds of the same vegetable (there’s white soy marinated hothouse cucumbers, k-cukes, Persian cucumbers, cucumber & kaffir lime cream, Sichuan mint oil and cucumber cake!); we often get accused on being too fancy so it's deceptively simple; and the cucumbers are cut into doughnut shapes for no good reason except they look more fun that way. International influences, all about the vegetables and pointlessly fun - that's Dirt Candy in a nutshell.”

Cucumber+Salad.jpeg

INGREDIENTS

For the kaffir lime and cucumber cream:

  • 90g cucumber juice

  • 5g  kaffir lime leaves

  • 5g garlic

  • 1lb cream cheese

  • 5g salt

To make:

  • Blend the cucumber juice with the kaffir lime leaves and strain

  • Whip everything together until smooth

For the Sichuan mint oil:

  • 2 cups canola oil

  • 22g Thai chilli peppers

  • 5g Sichuan peppercorns

  • 50g blanched mint

  • 20g blanched parsley

To make:

  • Heat the oil until it reaches 325°F

  • Pour over the Thai chilli peppers and the peppercorns

  • Let cool and then strain

  • Blend the strained oil with the mint and parsley and strain again

For the white soy marinade:

  • 1 cup white soy sauce

  • 1 tsp ginger

  • 1 tsp garlic

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp sesame oil

To make:

  • Whisk everything together

For the cucumber cake

  • 113g unsalted butter

  • 120g canola oil

  • 300g sugar

  • 4 eggs

  • 390g  all-purpose flour

  • 1 tbsp baking powder

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 300g cucumber juice

To make:

  • Cream the butter, oil and sugar

  • Add eggs, 1 at a time

  • Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt in 3 parts

  • Slowly add cucumber juice

  • Spread onto a tray

  • Bake at 325°F for 8 minutes

  • When cool, cut into rings

RECIPE

  • 2 Persian cucumbers

  • 2 k-cucumbers

  • 1 hothouse cucumber (also known as greenhouse cucumber)

  • Mint leaves

  • Toasted sesame seeds

To assemble:

  • Cut all the cucumbers into rings

  • Toss in the soy marinade

  • Smear some of your kaffir leaf and cucumber cream onto the bottom of a plate

  • Stand the marinated cucumbers up in the cream

  • Stand a few pieces of the cake alongside

  • Add some of the Sichuan mint oil

  • Sprinkle with salt and toasted sesame seeds