Spicy cold kimchi noodles and smashed cucumbers

Spicy cold kimchi noodles with smashed cucumbers

     Here's another recipe that I discovered in the process of trying to clear out my pantry.  I figured something cold and refreshing would be really good on a hot summer night.

Spicy cold kimchi noodles

Spicy Cold Kimchi noodles (modified from https://mykoreankitchen.com/spicy-cold-kimchi-noodles/)

Ingredients:

1 package of bean thread noodles (8 ounces)

1/2 cup kimchi, pulsed in the food processor

1 English cucumber, chilled, rinsed, and cut into large matchstick size pieces

1 hard boiled egg, halved 

Bibim Sauce (Mix these in a bowl)

2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp cane sugar

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Procedure: 

1) Boil water and cover the bean noodles.  Let soak for ten minutes.  Drain the noodles and cool down under cold running water for about 1 minute. Stir the noodles with some tongs or your hand while it’s under the water. Drain the noodles well.

2) Put together the noodles, cut up kimchi, and bibim sauce in a large mixing bowl and mix well.  Serve it in a bowl. Place the cucumber and egg halves on top of the noodles and enjoy!

     This was a lovely and relatively quick recipe.  It was nice and refreshing on a hot evening.

Smashed cucumbers

     I was thinking that some kind of Asian pickles would be good to have as a cool relief after the spicy kimchi noodles.  After looking at various sources (including a very frustrating look for an Asian Pickle cookbook that I just came across and subsequently lost again!), I came across this recipe for smashed cucumbers.  I had first seen it on an America's Test Kitchen YouTube video and had always been curious to try it.  So, tonight was the night.

Smashed cucumbers (modified from https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/smashed-cucumbers and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Oj4DagwRQI)

Ingredients:

2 English cucumbers

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic, minced to paste (I used 2 cloves of minced garlic)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Procedure:

1. Trim and discard ends from cucumbers. Cut each cucumber crosswise into three equal lengths. Place pieces in large zipper-lock bag and seal bag. Using a small skillet or a rolling pin, firmly but gently smash cucumbers until flattened and split lengthwise into 3 to 4 spears each. Tear spears into rough 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to colander set in large bowl. Toss cucumbers with salt and let stand for at least 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes.

2. While cucumbers sit, whisk vinegar and garlic together in small bowl; let stand for at least 5 minutes or up to 15 minutes.

3. Whisk soy sauce, oil, and sugar into vinegar mixture until sugar has dissolved. Transfer cucumbers to medium bowl and discard any extracted liquid. Add dressing and sesame seeds to cucumbers and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

     This was very fun to make and used a lot of the same ingredients as the kimchi noodles, so they complimented each other nicely.  I really liked the salty crisp garlicky taste of the cucumbers and kind of wish I had made more.  The original recipe calls for Chinese Black Vinegar, but since I didn't have any and was trying to use up what was in my pantry, I used rice vinegar instead.  Yum yum yum!