Taiwanese Cucumber Salad 涼拌小黃瓜

It's been super hot in Texas! I've been keeping myself in air conditioned rooms and drinking lots of iced water and trying everything I can to not turn on the stove. This simple dish is just perfect because it involves absolutely no heating of food.

涼拌 (Mandarin: liang ban) literally means "chilled and dressed (in a dressing)," so basically any dish that is referred to as "涼拌" is a salad. This dish often appears as a small starter dish on a Taiwanese banquet table to help whet the banquet guests' appetite. My grandmother used to make it for us when she visited in the summer. It is light and crisp and refreshing during the dog days of summer.

Since this is a cucumber salad, the type of cucumber you use will make or break this dish. In Taiwan, of course, they use Taiwanese cucumbers, which can sometimes be found in Chinese supermarkets. Taiwanese cucumbers are long and thin. They have a thinner skin and a crisper texture than the regular slicer cucumbers you see in the American grocery stores. Regular slicer cucumbers are not good substitutes. Their skin is too tough and thick. They're not sweet or crisp enough. And the seeds and tough skin make them taste bitter. English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers are both better substitutes. This time, I'm using Persian cucumbers, which I found at Trader Joe's.

You will need: 6 Persian cucumbers, 1 clove of garlic, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1+1/2 Tbsp vinegar, and 1 Tbsp sesame oil.

Cut the ends off the cucumbers.

Then use the flat side of your knife's blade to smash the cucumbers until they break open. I like using my heavy duty Chinese cleaver for this. This is great for taking out any anger you may have.

All smashed up!

Cut the cucumbers into sections, about 1.5 inches long. If there are large clumps of seeds, discard them. (Persian cucumbers should be nearly seedless, but if they are too ripe, there may be seeds.)

Put the cucumber sections into a gallon-size Ziploc bag (or a large bowl).

Mince the garlic.

And throw the garlic into the Ziploc bag too.

Now, add the sugar and salt to the bag.

Zip the bag close. And shake vigorously. (Toss well if you're using a bowl.) Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Add the vinegar and sesame oil. Close and shake again. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

And you're done! Drain and serve.

It is best to eat all of this dish on the same day that it is prepared. If you must store leftovers, make sure to drain the liquid first. Then cover and refrigerate. Finish within three days.

Curry Rice 咖哩飯

Curry rice is one of my favorite dishes to cook and eat. It is super simple and easy to make and awesomely delicious and nutritious. Moms love this dish because they can pack a lot of vegetables and protein into one dish. In fact, this was one of the ways my mom tricked me into eating carrots when I was little.

Technically, curry rice is a Japanese dish (well, actually imported to Japan from India by the British -- so not exactly Japanese in origin). It is one of the remnants of the 50-year Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan (1895-1945) and very much beloved by the Taiwanese people. There are multiple Japanese curry restaurants in Taiwan, and they're always packed.

In the U.S., Japanese curry is now much more accessible to home cooks than even just five years ago. I used to have to go to the Asian market to buy pre-packaged Japanese instant curry blocks. Imagine my delight and surprise when I found out that my local Walmart carries them. There are various brands out there: Vermont Curry, Golden Curry, Kokumaro Curry. No matter what brand, they always come in three different spiciness levels -- mild, medium, or hot. Since these are catering to the Japanese palette, all three spiciness levels are generally pretty tame. Pictured below is the brand that Walmart carries and the one I'm using for this blog post, S&B Golden Curry.

My personal favorite brand actually is House Foods Vermont Curry, which has a "touch of apple and honey." It packs a full punch of flavor while being sweet and delicate. Also, in my opinion, it's not as oily as Golden Curry. I would usually pick up a few boxes when I go to the Asian market, but I haven't been in a while. And I just found that you can actually order it from Amazon, so I guess that's coming in my next Amazon order.

Now, let's get cooking.

You will need: 3 medium carrots, 3 medium russet potatoes, 1 10-oz package of mushrooms, 1 medium onion, 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, salt, black pepper (not pictured), corn starch (not pictured), olive oil (not pictured), 2 boxes of curry mix (3.5 oz) (Only one box is in the picture. I decided to add another box when I realized that one box was not enough for the amount of food and liquid I had in the pot.), and water.

Really, you can add whatever vegetables you want. I've seen people add celery, broccoli, and bell peppers to their curry. Apples work well too. Traditionally, the Japanese always have carrots and potatoes in their curry, but you can certainly take them out if you don't like them. My aunt used to cook a dish that was just cauliflower in curry sauce when we were little, and we would slurp it right up. If chicken is not your favorite protein, then use beef or pork or lamb. You're vegetarian? Then don't add meat. Seriously, this is a very customizable dish.

Caution: I was making a large portion for me and my two brothers, who are in their twenties and can
eat a lot. Plus I like to make a lot so I can pack it for lunch and still have leftovers for the next night. If this is too much for you, just cut the recipe in half.

First, we're going to prep the vegetables. Wash and peel the carrots. Then chop them into 1-inch sections.

Wash and peel the potatoes. And chop them into 1-inch cubes.

Wash the dirt off the mushrooms and slice them. (I bought the pre-sliced ones this time because they were on sale. Most of the time, I buy whole mushrooms.)

Slice the onion.

Next, we'll prep the chicken. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and put the meat into a bowl.

Season the chicken pieces with some salt and black pepper. Mix it up so all of the chicken pieces are coated with the seasoning.

Add some cornstarch.

Mix it up. Then set the chicken aside. Usually, I would cover the bowl with saran wrap and refrigerate it until I need it.

All of the prep work is now done. Get a big pot and heat up some olive oil over medium-high heat.

When the oil is heated, throw in the onion slices. Saute for a minute or so.

Then throw in the carrots. Saute for another minute.

Then throw in the mushroom slices and a pinch of salt.

Saute the vegetables until they start to soften.

Then in go the potato cubes.

Stir the veggies and potatoes a little. Then add water, just enough to cover the vegetables. I think I added too much water this time. Trust me, you would rather err on the side of adding too little water. You can always add more water later if it's not enough. If you add too much water, then your curry can end up too watery and not flavorful enough.

Cover the pot with a lid. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Now, we open the curry mix.

Notice the bottom of the packaging divides the entire block into sections.

Use these guiding lines to break up the block into sections.

Here's my pot of boiling liquid. The potatoes should be soft by now. But make sure to test it with a fork or chopstick.

Gently place the curry blocks into the liquid, one section at a time. Stir after the addition of each block. The liquid will start to change color and thicken as the blocks dissolve.

While the liquid is still boiling, take the chicken out of the refrigerator. Gently drop a few pieces of the chicken into the pot at a time. Stir after each addition.

Once all of the chicken has been added, bring the mixture back to a boil then turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the curry stew continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning. Then you're ready to eat!

Put some freshly steamed rice into a dish. Then ladle the finished curry over the rice. Make sure you get a good amount of vegetables and meat.