Smashed Cucumber Salad & Milk Bread Cinnamon Bun

some chinese inspired recipes to celebrate the end of summer or w/e

Smashed Cucumber Salad 🥒

Left: Smashed cucumbers. Center: Smashed cucumber salad. Right: Lao Gan Ma, aka the magic sauce that turns smashed cucumbers into smashed cucumber salad.

Cucumber salad is an incredibly popular dish in Chinese cuisine. I didn’t really eat it growing up, because it’s not traditionally eaten in the Cantonese or Hakka cuisine that I grew up with. But when I lived in Hong Kong I was lucky to be exposed to many more Chinese cuisines beyond just the ones of my family. Because of this, I stumbled upon smashed cucumber salad.

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber or 3 small ones

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 2 tsp soya sauce

• 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, or rice vinegar. White vinegar works fine if you must!

• 2 tsp chili oil, such as Lao Gan Ma (not an affiliate link)

Method

1. On a cutting board: trim off both ends of your cucumber(s).

2. Smash is a few times with your knife. I do this by resting my knife down on the cucumber (sharp side points parallel to the cucumber) and smashing my hand down in a fist. It’s very satisifying.

   1. Tip: put the cucumber in a clear bag before smashing for an easier clean up.

3. Cut the smashed cucumber into 1/2 inch, bite sized pieces.

4. Sprinkle the cucumber with salt. l:t sit for about 10 minutes, covered, in the fridge so water releases.

5. Drain off the excess water. Add the minced garlic, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil (Lao Gan Ma). Mix together.

6. This salad keeps for about a week in the fridge in an airtight container.

Milk Bread Cinnamon Bun 🍞

Left: rolled out dough. Center: before baking. Right: after baking. They would look even prettier with some icing on top!

Milk bread is used to make gaai mei baau — cocktail bun — which is a sweet, coconut-filled bun my Gung Gung and Po Po would bring over every time they visisted when I was growing up.

But milk bread isn’t vegan :(

I’ve been working on making the perfect vegan version to satisfy my nostalgia and make me feel connected to family.

I also love cinnamon buns because they make me feel closer to my dad. They’re his favourite!

So on a whim, I decided to combine these two breads.

I brought the combination — milk bread cinnamon buns — to a bbq with non-vegan friends. It was a hit.

1. No one could believe I made them. “What bakery are these from, Serena?”

2. No one could believe they were vegan.

3. No one could believe I used tofu as the egg replacement.

Ingredients

Roux

• 3 tbsp all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)

Dough

• 2 1/2 cups flour (I use all purpose)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 tsp instant yeast (or 2.5 tsp active dry yeast)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup soft tofu (ideally plain dessert tofu or silken tofu)

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk, room temperature

• 4 tbsp softened butter

• 1/4 cup extra flour

Filling

• 1 cup dark brown sugar (light brown sugar also works)

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• 1/3 cup butter, softened or melted

Method

1. Make the roux in a small pot.

   1. Mix the 1/2 cup of non-dairy milk and 3 tbsp of flour until incorporated.

   2. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened but still pourable, a minute or so.

   3. The mixture will thicken more as it cools.

2. Make the dough.

   1. If using instant yeast:

      1. In a bowl, or in standmixer with the dough attachment: Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in large mixing bowl.

      2. Add in tofu, baking soda, and non-dairy milk. (The tofu and baking soda together act as the egg replacement). Mix until combined.

   2. If using active dry yeast:

      1. Dissolve the 1/2 cup sugar into the 1/2 cup of non-dairy. Sprinkle the active dry yeast on top and let it activate for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes it should become foamy.

      2. In a bowl, or in standmixer with the dough attachment: Mix flour, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl.

      3. Add in tofu, baking soda, and non-dairy milk & yeast mixture. (The tofu and baking soda together act as the egg replacement). Mix until combined.

3. Add in the roux mixture to the large bowl.  Knead until dough comes together.

4. Add in butter and knead for 20 more minutes until the butter is just incorporated.

5. Cover the dough and let it rise for an hour, or until doubled in size.

6. Punch down, and then roll out on a floured surface into a rectangle that’s as thin as possible.

7. Spread the butter on the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar, and then the cinnamon.

8. Roll up, by rolling the short side of the rectangle up. Try to make it tight.

9. Cut into 10 - 12 rolls.

10. Transfer to a greased (with oil or butter) 9- or 10-inch round cake pan, pie dish, or a square baking pan.

11. Cover the rolls and let rise for about 45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.

12. Preheat the oven to 350F. Brush the top of the dough with a bit of non-dairy or more butter. The mimics an egg wash.

13. Bake on the bottom shelf until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

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