Sichuan Pickled Cucumber and Black Shiitake @ home

This little concoction of Neil Perry’s was recommended to me by our friends, Bu and Ingvar, and requires one important statement:

Its awesomeness cannot be underestimated.

I highly recommend you try this one at home, whether or not you are a fan of pickles, cucumbers or shiitake mushrooms.  I am usually not a particularly picklish kind of girl, and I don’t get into the shiitake thing that regularly either, but the bizarre Sichuan peppercorn zing, the razzmatazz of the ginger, the sweetness that the sugar brings to the whole thing and the clean cucumber finish makes this an incredibly moreish combination.  It goes with just about anything;  I’ve been enjoying it with my favourite tofu and rice dishes, barbequed fish and even as part of a ploughman's lunch with cheese, olives etc.  And it’s really easy to make, too. 

7 small Lebanese cucumbers, cut into quarters lengthways and deseeded

65g (1/2 cup) sea salt

250ml peanut oil

1 Tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns

10 dried small red chillies

100g sugar

100ml rice vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons light soy sauce

1 large knob of ginger, peeled and cut into very fine julienne

20 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 mins, stalks removed, finely sliced

Put the cucumber in a colander over a bowl, sprinkle with the sea salt and mix well. Leave to stand for 1 hour to draw out any excess moisture and then rinse well under cold running water and drain.

Heat a wok until smoking. Add the peanut oil and, when hot, add the peppercorns and chillies and cook until blackened. Add the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, mushrooms and finally, the cucumber. Stir for a minute or two. Pack into a 2 litre sterilised glass jar, allow to cool and then cover and leave or a day or two to mature before serving.

Neil Perry’s recipe says it lasts for 2 weeks in the fridge, but mine is still going strong 3 weeks later (and I don’t even have 24 hour power), so feel free to keep indulging until the jar runs out, which probably won’t be long anyway.