When I first started sipcookenjoy, I had major aspirations. Not aspirations like becoming the next big influencer, but aspirations like annual recipe round-ups, restaurant remakes, themed weekly meals, cookbook roulette, etc. Cooking can be so fun and I wanted to inspire not only myself but others to have fun with it rather than dinner feeling like a chore. 

Alas, a lot has changed since starting this blog. The first being my return to the regular work grind, then starting a family, and ultimately realizing my aspirations had shifted for this space – I wanted to simplify. I wanted this to my living recipe book for my family to choose meals from and so that I didn’t have to search my phone or antiquated recipe files for dishes I loved but couldn’t remember how I made. So a lot of those inspired ideas fell to the wayside. And while I don’t feel any pressure to reignite them for the purpose of the blog, I do yearn to tap back into that creative cooking mindset. For example, while maternity leave early last year, I decided I wanted to try one new recipe from my stack of cookbooks a week. It lasted 2-3 weeks before I ultimately fell off the wagon. But I’d like to try again! Maybe when I go on my second maternity leave this year, I will give that a try… will report back.

Another one I love is restaurant remakes. There are so many delicious recipes I crave from our favorite restaurants and I would love to figure out how to make them on my own. Many of those dishes are simply too onerous… or in many cases, require ingredients that would take a full day driving around town to source (hellooo any and all Thai food dishes). But not all! This is one of those few restaurant dishes that tastes fancier than it is and is super simple to make. The Seasoned Cucumbers from Din Tai Fung.

I used to work near the Century City mall when Din Tai Fung just opened. It took mall restaurants to new heights with an elevated ambiance and great food. But considering it’s a dim sum restaurant, eating there as a gluten free person was not an easy task. Luckily, these cucumbers helped me through many a work lunches. I would simply order these and a side of fried rice and call it day. Maybe not all that nutritious but it was satisfying! They are great for parties, large families, and a simple side dish that can elevate almost any Asian-inspired main. Let me know what you think. 

INGREDIENTS

Serving Size: 2-4

INSTRUCTIONS

• Slice the cucumbers into 1 inch rounds.
• Toss with salt and marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together all the marinade ingredients.
• After marinating in the salt for 20 mins, place cucumbers into a Ziploc Bag and pour the marinade over the cucumbers. 
• Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least another 4 hours.
• To serve, arrange cucumbers in a tower and drizzle extra marinade & sesame seeds over them. Enjoy!