Cooking with Blobby

You know, in summer months I don't think you see a lot of 'cooking' segments from me. 

As hot as it's been here - and it remains in the 90s - I'd rather do salads or stand over a grill for a short amount of time rather than turn the stove to 375°F . 

Still, there is only so much grilled chicken and corn one can have, you know?  So I opted to change things up. I thought I'd surprise 710 with something new. He knew nothing until we sat down for dinner. 

Truthfully, I wasn't sure how it would come out, but it's all about the sauce. And you could put it on most anything and no one is gonna complain about what it is on. 

I went with Dumpling and Smashed Cucumber Salad With Peanut Sauce. 

In what world is peanut sauce ever going to be bad???

None - I tellz ya!

It's not that labour intensive, and if you do things in a certain order, it helps with timing.  Overall it takes less than 30 minutes. 

Ingredients 

Yield: 4 servings 

For the Peanut Sauce 

⅓ cup smooth peanut butter, well stirred garlic clove, finely chopped. 

½ cup just boiled water (or more as needed) 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon rice vinegar 

2 teaspoons granulated sugar 

2 teaspoons chile crisp or oil (or use amount to your liking) 

For the Salad 

6 Persian cucumbers 

Salt 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil 

1 pound frozen potsticker dumplings (not thawed) 

Big handful cilantro  Blech.  No!

Toasted white sesame seeds or chopped roasted peanuts, for topping 

Chile crisp or chile oil, for serving 

"Salad" might be a stretch. 

Preparation 

Step 1 Prepare the sauce: Place the peanut butter, garlic and hot water into a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. (If the peanut butter separates and looks curdled, that’s OK. It will come back together after you add the other seasonings.) Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and chile crisp and whisk again until smooth and well combined. (It may look runny, but it will thicken up as it sits.) 

I also added about a half teaspoon of sesame oil. I mean, how could that hurt anything?? (it did not!)

Step 2 Prepare the salad: Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and then into 2-inch lengths. Lay them cut side-down on a cutting board and, using the flat side of a chef’s knife or a rolling pin, smack the cucumbers until they break apart. Tear or cut them into bite-size pieces, if necessary. 

Not sure why they are Persian cucumbers. I suppose Iranian cucumbers wouldn't sell as well. 

Careful when / how you smash these. Too hard and it can make a mess. Or put them in a ziplock bag before smashing. 

Step 3 Place the cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with a pinch or 2 of salt. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture. 

NOTE:  probably do steps 2 and 3 first. The 10 minutes it takes to drain the cukes can be used to make the sauce and start step 4. 

Step 4 Meanwhile, heat a large (12-inch) nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes, until very hot. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and, working in batches, add the dumplings, flat-side down, and cook until the bottoms are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Maybe it was me, but it took a lot longer than 1-2 minutes to brown on the bottom. But when they go - they go! So not a time to walk away. 

Step 5 Carefully add about ¼ cup of water to the pan, just enough to cover the base of the dumplings, then immediately cover and cook until the water has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. (If your dumplings contain meat, cook for an extra 1 to 2 minutes, or according to package instructions.) Transfer the cooked dumplings to a plate and continue cooking the remaining dumplings. (If you prefer to steam the dumplings, see Tip.) 

Step 6 To serve, divide the dumplings among plates or shallow bowls and top with the cucumbers. Spoon over a generous amount of peanut sauce, top with cilantro (or throw in the trash can - your choice!), sesame seeds or peanuts and a few drops of chile crisp/oil. 

Sesame seeds or peanuts?  Fuck that - I did both. 

Serve right away, while the dumplings are still warm, or at room temperature. 

The taste was amazing. The chile crisp really came through, making lips burn and noses run, but the cucumber was an antidote for the heat - and it provided a good change in texture to the rest of the dish. The peanut sauce was great - and would be great on chicken as well. 

Dumplings were ok, but honestly they were a delivery method for everything else. 710 loved it.  So - yay me!

This would have NOT served 4 btw. We had partial leftovers, but barely for one. This serves two comfortably - you might be able to eke out three. 

Tip:  To steam, arrange the dumplings in a steaming basket lined with baking paper or cabbage leaves, place over a pan of boiling water and steam for 10 to 15 minutes or according to package directions.