I'm a big fan of cucumber dishes, especially in the summer. It's super refreshing and has a satisfying crunch. A cucumber dipped in some gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) is my quintessential summer snack, but oftentimes I overload on the gochujang and end up feeling hot and flushed, exactly what I don't want in the summer heat.
Enter cucumbers in black rice vinegar. With just four ingredients and ten minutes, you can have a taste of summer. It can also be used as a condiment if you mince the cucumber. If you can't find black rice vinegar in your local Asian market, cider vinegar or a mild balsamic vinegar are reasonable substitutes, but not the same. Also, watch out for black vinegar—it is not the same thing as black rice vinegar!
In addition to excerpting a recipe each day this week, we're giving away five (5) copies of Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China. Enter to win here »
Advertisement will not be printed.