Sichuan Chilli Oil Smashed Cucumber Salad and Soy-Cured Egg
This is just one of the best things ever. The textures and tastes set you up for a perfect meal. Normally, smashed cucumbers are served simply as a side to just nibble on while you’re waiting for noodles or dumplings to come out. I think this treatment takes the cucumbers to more of a comprehensive dish. This is so refreshing. The soy eggs are just Banana Town. Since we’re making a cookbook, we could make something beautiful like this a main event. I’m so hyped on this salad, and I know this will be a staple for you and your family or friends, or maybe your lover.
Serves 4 to 6 / Prep time: 1 day
SOY SAUCE EGGS
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup mirin
CUCUMBER SALAD
- 2 English cucumbers, cut into 5cm strips
- Kosher salt
- ½ red onion, sliced as thinly as possible
- ½ bunch coriander, chopped
- ½ bunch scallions or spring onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
BLACK VINEGAR CHILLI CRISP DRESSING
- ¼ cup chilli crisp
- 2 tbsp black vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 small knob ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
First, we’re going to make the soy sauce eggs. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lower each egg into the pot and set your timer for 6 minutes. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath until they get cold, then peel them. To marinate the eggs, place a Ziploc bag in a small bowl. Fill it with the water, soy sauce, and mirin. Add the eggs and squeeze the air out of the bag to ensure the eggs are covered in the soy sauce mixture. Seal the bag closed and store in the refrigerator. Ideally wait 24 hours, but they can be used after 6 hours.
When you are ready to make your salad, get ready to smash your cucumbers. Lie them on a cutting board and smash them with the bottom of a pot. Transfer them to a strainer set over a bowl, generously salt them, and place them in the fridge for 30 minutes. Salting them draws out a lot of the moisture in the cucumbers. Press them with paper towels to remove all the moisture you can.
In a large bowl, mix the red onion, coriander and scallions. Make the black vinegar chilli crisp dressing. In a small bowl, mix up the chilli crisp, black vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, lime zest and juice, garlic, ginger and grapeseed oil.
Carefully remove your beautiful little soy eggs from their salty bath. Break them gently with your hands. When you’re ready to serve, get a large platter out. First put down your smashed cucumber. Toss with the dressing. Top it with the broken-up soy eggs. Add the onion, coriander and scallions and top with the sesame seeds.
Crispy Lamb Pho
This recipe is for an old friend and was inspired by a memory of one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Danny Bowien used to have a burrito spot called Mission Cantina on the Lower East Side in New York, and some days they would serve pho. The lamb pho really hit me hard because it was two things that I love but had never really had together. The deep lamb pho broth and the crispy lamb ribs blew my mind. I hope you enjoy my version inspired by Danny’s genius.
Serves 4 / Prep time: 1 day
SOUP
- 2 large yellow onions, cut in half
- 1 20cm piece of ginger, cut in half
- 1.5kg marrow bones
- 1 bone-in lamb shoulder (take out of the fridge 2½ hours before starting recipe)
- 2 racks bone-in lamb ribs (take out of the fridge 2½ hours before starting recipe)
- 3.5 litres water
- ½ cup fish sauce
- 2 tbsp rock sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
- ½ tsp monosodium glutamate
- 4 garlic cloves, halved
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 star anise pods
- 3 or 4 cloves
- ½ cup mala spice (I like Fly By Jing)
- 450g dried pho noodles
GARNISHES
- shiso or basil leaves
- culantro (Vietnamese coriander) or coriander
- white onion, sliced
- scallions or spring onions, sliced
- 2 limes, quartered
- handful of bean sprouts
- bird’s eye chillies
- Thai basil
Let’s make pho. First, let’s char our onions and ginger in a cast-iron pan over a medium-high heat. You want them to get caramelised to give our broth a deep flavour. Set aside. In a large pot, place the marrowbones, lamb shoulder, and lamb ribs and cover the goods with cold water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes to blanch and then drain and quickly wash off all the bones, shoulder, and ribs.
Place everything back into the pot and add your 15 cups water, fish sauce, rock sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce it to a simmer. Skim the scum and add your charred onions, charred ginger, cinnamon, coriander, star anise and cloves. Keep simmering the pho broth, removing the scum from the surface of the water until the liquid is clear and no more scum rises to the surface. There will be a lot of it – the lamb ribs are very fatty.
After about 2½ hours (when you can almost pinch through the ribs), take them and the lamb shoulder out. Let them cool on a wire rack and move to the fridge. Let the broth continue to simmer for another 4 hours. Keep adding water if too much is cooking off. Strain after 4 hours. Preheat your oven to broil on high.
When you are ready to serve, slice your lamb shoulder meat and ribs into 2.5cm-thick pieces, then cover all your lamb in the mala spice and season with salt. Broil until they are nice and crispy, 5-10 minutes. To serve, boil the noodles according to the package instructions. Divide among four bowls. Put the lamb shoulder and ribs on top. Bring the broth to a rolling boil and ladle it over all that deliciousness in your bowls. Set up your garnishes on a large plate and serve. I don’t bother with bean sprouts, but go ahead if you do.
Orzo and Goat Cheese Salad
This is a tasty Mediterranean shovel-fest salad. Have this with some grilled chicken or lamb chops. Orzo is white hot. You’ll see; you are ahead of the curve. You will be the most fantastic kids at the function. Whoever pulls up with the orzo and goat cheese salad is going to be bringing something. Orzo’s gone full circle. Does anyone even care about orzo? HELLO, does anyone care about orzo salads?
Serves 2 / Prep time: 45 minutes
- 1 cup dried orzo pasta
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼-inch halved coins
- 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 85g goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 tbsp basil leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp tarragon, chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley
Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orzo until it’s al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Let it cool completely.
Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Toss the zucchini with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook the zucchini on the cut side until lightly charred and tender. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon juice, mustard, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled orzo, charred zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Gently fold in the crumbled goat cheese, reserving a small amount for garnish. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss everything together to coat the ingredients evenly. Add the basil, tarragon, and parsley, and reserved goat cheese. Finish with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper.
An edited extract from Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson (Murdoch Books, RRP $55).
