Since the dumpling salad with tomatoes was/is such a hit, we jumped on this version with cucumbers and a peanut sauce. Did it combine the best of a few favorites? See below. Serves 4:
Cucumber and Dumpling Salad with Peanut Sauce
For the Peanut Sauce:
- ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- ½ cup just boiled water (more as needed)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili crisp (more or less to taste)
For the Salad:
- 6 Persian cucumbers, or 1 regular cucumber, seeded
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- 1 pound frozen potsticker dumplings
For topping:
- Big handful cilantro
- Sliced scallions
- Toasted white sesame seeds or chopped roasted peanuts
- Chili crisp
Prepare the sauce: Place the peanut butter, garlic and hot water into a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and chili crisp and whisk again until smooth and well combined. It may look runny, but it will thicken up as it sits. Taste and add more rice vinegar and/or chili crisp as needed.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes, until very hot. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and add the dumplings, flat-side down. Cook until the bottoms are browned, 2-3 minutes. Carefully add about ¼ cup of water to the pan, just enough to cover the base of the dumplings, 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).
To serve, divide the dumplings among 4 plates or shallow bowls and top with the cucumbers. Spoon over a generous amount of peanut sauce, top with cilantro, scallions, sesame seeds or peanuts and a few drops of chile crisp. Serve right away, while the dumplings are still warm and enjoy!
My verdict:
This was really good and a nice change from cold sesame noodles and the tomato dumpling salad (which we’ve made at least once a week). Like the salmorejo, it’s a worthy dish, but will not usurp the “old standbys” to quote my mother.
We always end up adding more rice vinegar and chili crisp to the dressing but use what tastes good to you.
Since Chinese potsticker dumplings are hard to find here, the ones we like best are pork gyozo, but use whatever suits your fancy.
If you use Persian cucumbers salting and smashing them isn’t necessary, but an easier way to smash the cucumbers is to put them in a Ziplock bag before you smash them. You can also just break them up with your hands, but sometimes smashing them is a good stress reliever. Not that anyone is ever stressed, right?
