Szechwan Cucumber Salad

This Szechwan cucumber salad is all about contrast: cool, crisp cucumber half-moons against chewy wood ear mushrooms, all dressed in a sharp, spicy sauce. It’s the kind of cold dish you’d find on a Chinese restaurant appetizer spread, and it’s dead simple to make at home.

Wood ear mushrooms are the wildcard. They don’t bring much flavor on their own, but after a 15-minute soak in boiling water, they expand to four times their dried size and deliver a satisfying crunch that’s completely different from the cucumber. It’s texture on texture, and that’s the whole point.

Scraping the seeds out of the cucumbers is a step you don’t want to skip. Seeds hold water, and watery cucumbers dilute the dressing. You want dry, crisp half-moons that soak up every drop of that soy, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil mixture.

Let everything sit together for at least 15 minutes before serving. The dressing needs time to penetrate the cucumber and the heat from the chili peppers needs time to bloom.

Chef Tips

• Find dried wood ear mushrooms at any Chinese or Asian grocery store. They keep for months in the pantry.
• Adjust the chili peppers to your heat tolerance. Four peppers makes this properly spicy. Start with two if you’re cautious.
• Use Chinese white vinegar if you can find it. Rice vinegar is a fine substitute but slightly milder.
• Sesame oil is a finishing oil here, not a cooking oil. Its fragrance fades with heat, so it stays raw in the dressing.

Variations

• Garlic bomb: Add a few cloves of minced raw garlic to the dressing for a more pungent kick.
• Peanut crunch: Top with crushed roasted peanuts right before serving for extra texture.