{"id":14390,"date":"2013-06-13T23:01:53","date_gmt":"2013-06-13T21:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/?p=14390"},"modified":"2013-06-14T09:17:55","modified_gmt":"2013-06-14T07:17:55","slug":"cucumber-fried-with-perilla-shiso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/?p=14390","title":{"rendered":"Cucumber Fried with Perilla (Shiso)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cucshisop\"<\/p>\n

Have you ever fried cucumber? Even though it’s one of the vegetables I eat most often, such a way to serve it had never crossed my mind before I saw this recipe in the\u00a0Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuchsia Dunlop<\/a>. In constant search of new ways to cook shiso (see below), I prepared this dish out of pure curiosity, considering it a rather risky experiment. Luckily, quickly fried, still crunchy and juicy cucumber tasted surprisingly well. Paired with strong, slightly astringent shiso leaves, fresh chili and vinegar, it created a bold-tasting and original side-dish.<\/p>\n

Shiso (\u7d2b\u8607), or perilla, is an Asian aromatic dark red or green plant with an astringent taste and strong fragrance. I have discovered it thanks to the Japanese cuisine, where it’s frequently used raw, cooked and its red variety is gives a reddish hue to pickles. Similar varieties of this herb are also used in Korean (ggaennip<\/i>,\u00a0\uae7b\uc78e)\u00a0and Vietnamese (t\u00eda t\u00f4)\u00a0<\/i>cuisines. Thanks to Fuchsia Dunlop’s book I learnt that perilla is also appreciated\u00a0in China. \u00a0Shiso is not to everyone’s taste, but I instantly fell in love with its herbaceous aroma and the more I cook with it, the more I appreciate it.<\/p>\n

Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook<\/a>,\u00a0which presents the Hunan province, has not only revealed a new way to prepare cucumber. It has most of all made be realise I am very fond of the combination of hot, salty and sour flavours, typical of this place (and often distorted abroad by the addition of sugar). The few dishes I cooked from this book (I hope to share them with you soon) were excellent and proved once more that Fuchsia Dunlop approaches food writing with discipline and passion. I equally – and even more – \u00a0recommend her “Sichuan Cookery”<\/a> which is one of the best \u00a0cookery books I have ever seen.<\/p>\n

If you like cucumber and have access to shiso, try this simple but surprising (at least for me) recipe. I haven’t modified the original instructions and have only changed amounts of ingredients. If you don’t find shiso, the author advises Thai sweet basil and I totally agree. The taste will be completely different, but it’s also a strong, aromatic herb, which gives excellent results when cooked. For me, the taste of the dish is interesting enough to try making it without any herb.<\/p>\n

If you look for shiso cooking ideas, you might like some of these:<\/p>\n

\"Teriyaki<\/a>
Teriyaki Pork Rolls with Shiso and Gochujang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Pork<\/a>
Pork Rolls and Shiso in Tempura<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Garlic<\/a>
Garlic and Shiso Infused Soy Sauce<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Shiso<\/a>
Shiso and Bacon Fried Rice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

P<\/em><\/strong>reparation:<\/strong> about 15 minutes<\/em><\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/strong> (serves two):<\/em><\/p>\n

1\/2 long cucumber<\/em><\/p>\n

1 red chili (fresh)<\/em><\/p>\n

1 garlic clove<\/em><\/p>\n

1 teaspoon light soy sauce<\/em><\/p>\n

1 teaspoon \u00a0rice vinegar<\/em><\/p>\n

4 tablespoons chopped perilla leaves (the recipe calls for purple perilla leaves, but I’m sure you can use the green variety too)<\/em><\/p>\n

1 teaspoon sesame oil<\/em><\/p>\n

1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil<\/em><\/p>\n

Halve the cucumber lengthwise and then cut diagonally into 0.5 cm\/about 1\/4 in thick slices.<\/p>\n

Chop the chili and the garlic. (Remove the chili seeds if you don’t want your dish to be too hot).<\/p>\n

Heat one tablespoon oil in a pan or wok.<\/p>\n

Spread the cucumber slices at the bottom and fry them at high heat until they are slightly golden on one side (about 2 minutes). Turn them and fry the other side in the same way.<\/p>\n

Add the chili, the garlic and the soy sauce. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes.<\/p>\n

Add the vinegar and the chopped perilla.<\/p>\n

Stir well the dish for one minute and put the pan aside.<\/p>\n

Add the sesame oil and stir well before serving.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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