Recipe
Korean smashed cucumber & Dressed chilled tofu

2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS

    Smashed cucumber :

    • 1 large (English) cucumber or 2 small, peeled if you wish
    • A sprinkle of sea salt
    • 1 large clove garlic, minced
    • 1 tbsp Korean soy sauce
    • 1 tsp maesil-cheong or a pinch of sugar
    • 2 tbsp vinegar, rice, white wine or apple cider
    • 1 tbsp Korean toasted sesame oil
    • A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

     

    Dressed chilled tofu

    • 1 block silken tofu (firmer tofu won’t work as well in this recipe)
    • A good pinch of sea salt
    • Small bunch of garlic chives or spring onions, chopped
    • Optional: A few red or green shiso leaves*, chopped
    • A good drizzle of Korean toasted sesame oil
    • A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
    • *You can use grated or finely chopped fresh ginger instead
PREPARATION
1.

Lay your knife blade on top of the whole, unsliced cucumber and hit hard on the blade with your fist to smash the cucumber.

2.

Halve it lengthwise then slice into bite-sized chunks.

3.

Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and set aside in a strainer.




4.

Make the dressing by combining the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl.

5.

After 10 minutes, rinse the salt off the cucumber, give it a little squeeze to drain more liquid then pat dry.

6.

Add the cucumber to the dressing in the bowl and combine.

7.

Place the tofu on a small plate, score it lightly with a knife then top with the rest of the ingredients. You can use soy sauce instead of salt if you like.