Pickling Cucumbers Salad

Ingredients

• 6 small cucumber (, or 2 long English cucumber )
• 1 tbsp. salt (, for pickling )
• 3 garlic clove s ( , mashed)
• chopped scallion (, optional)
• 2 tsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 2 Thai chili peppers ( , chopped into small sections)
• 3 tbsp. peanut oil or other vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. whole Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 dried chili peppers (, cut into sections )

Instructions

1. Cut the cucumber into halves and then remove the pulp inside. Further cut the cucumber into small strips. Add around 1 tablespoon of salt and mix well. Set aside at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours). Then the water content is expelled by salt. Then discard the water. Quickly wash the cucumber strips and squeeze water out. Removing the original water content can make the cucumber much crunchier.
2. Lay the strips in serving plates. Sprinkle garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, chopped scallion and chopped fresh peppers on top.
3. Heat around 3 tablespoons of vegetable cooking oil firstly, and then turn off fire, add chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn in. Don't add them in the very beginning of the hot heating, they might be overcooked and taste bitter.
4. Pour the hot oil along with the chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn on top of the cucumber. Try to spread the oil on top of chopped garlic to stimulate the aroma.