Spicy Smoky Sour Cucumber Salad

Author Notes

There were several inspirations behind this salad, which is at once sour and salty, tongue-lashingly spicy and utterly clean. First, the buns at Momofuku, which come with a few slices of pickled cucumber, a dab of hoisin, and a generous squirt of sriracha. The combination is like crack, and I had it in mind in creating this dish. Second, a salad I saw in NYMag that combined cucumbers with lime juice and fresh chili powder, which lodged itself in my mind. Third, David Chang’s ginger scallion noodles, also from Momofuku, in which the scallions essentially become the dressing. It was a brilliant idea, and the scallions in this dish have a similar effect. I could go on about what caused me to make this dish, but once you make it, you really won’t care. You’ll be making a B-line for the kitchen to get some more. ***Note: The freshly ground chili is what makes this recipe great. If you use the jarred stuff, your salad may taste a bit like sawdust. Just sayin’. In terms of how much chili to use, you’ll have to taste and adjust, as heat is clearly a matter of preference. I used two smoked serrano chilies, which have a moderate level of heat. They’re certainly not mild. Ground, they amounted to about 1.5 teaspoons. I added the chili slowly, starting with 1/2 teaspoon and working up to the level that tasted best. You should do the same. If you want to use a milder chili, try ancho (smoked poblano) or something else smoked; that smoky flavor is key. - Rivka —Rivka

Test Kitchen Notes

Because this recipe was inspired by the pork buns at Momofuku -- where they rely on a generous slathering of hoisin to cut through the fatty pork belly -- I imagined a sweet pickle. But these aren't especially sweet -- just as Rivka says, they're cleanly smoky and sour, and as spicy as you want them to be. Be sure to use a quality dried chile, which sets the tone for the entire dish. - Merrill
—The Editors