What every professional kitchen needs to know about Asian cucumber: origin, flavour, preparation and storage.
The Chinese cucumber (黄瓜) — also timun (Indonesian), taeng kwa (แตงกวา, Thai), dưa chuột (Vietnamese) — is slimmer and thinner-skinned than the Western greenhouse cucumber.
In Asian cuisine, cucumber is not only used raw but also briefly stir-fried, pickled and fermented.
黄瓜cucumberChinese cucumbercucumberCucumber (Cucumis sativus) originates from India and has been cultivated for more than 3,000 years. In China, numerous cultivars have been developed for specific applications.
In the Chinese home kitchen, pickled cucumber with garlic and rice vinegar is a daily side dish with rice. In Korea, cucumber is the base for oi kimchi.
Fresh, cool and lightly sweet. The thin skin has slightly more bitterness than the flesh. Asian varieties have a somewhat more intense flavour than greenhouse cucumbers.
In Thai cuisine, ajad (อาจาด) — Thai cucumber relish with rice vinegar, sugar and chili — is the classic accompaniment to satay and grilled meat. In Vietnamese cuisine, dưa chuột is used raw in gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls) and in various salads. In Indonesian cuisine, timun is a fixed component of gado-gado and acar (sweet and sour pickles). In Japanese cuisine: tsukemono (pickled cucumber) and as a garnish with sushi. In Korean cuisine: oi sobagi (stuffed cucumber kimchi) is a summer classic.
Store at 7 to 10°C. Cucumber is sensitive to cold; too cold causes soft spots and flavour loss.
Use within 5 to 7 days of delivery.
Smash cucumber with a pounder into rough pieces instead of slicing. The rough surfaces absorb dressing much better.
Sprinkle salt over sliced cucumber, wait 10 minutes and pat dry. This draws out excess moisture before adding to a salad.
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