Spicy Asian Zucchini | RecipeTin Eats

August 23, 2023

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Right here’s a a novel zucchini recipe for you – Spicy Asian Zucchini! Meaty zucchini halves seared then smothered with a light chilli-garlic sauce. Fast. Simple. Huge flavours. Function a facet or a meat-free most important with Garlic Rice.

Spicy Asian Zucchini recipe

It is a zucchini recipe for everybody who:

finds themselves scrambling for a fast Asian vegetable sides for meaty/starchy Asian mains. Assume: Char Siu BBQ pork, dumplings, veg-less stir fries like Mongolian Lamb, Honey Hen, Peking Shredded Beef (there’s truly tons if you consider it!);
is in search of one thing completely different to make with zucchini. As a result of you may have an abundance of dwelling grown or couldn’t resist a cut price on the retailers (the latter is me); or
simply usually get pleasure from discovering new, tasty methods to make use of greens which can be fast and straightforward to make. As in – most important meal worthy.

This Spicy Asian Zucchini ticks all these bins. An invention that happened after I was gazing a pile of extra zucchinis than any regular individual ought to have (however no person has known as me “regular” shortly) at a time when my spicy edamame was on repeat. Very comparable sauce. Completely different use!

What you want for Spicy Asian Zucchini

Right here’s what you want for this Asian zucchini recipe. First up – the key ingredient…..zucchinis! 😂

Zucchini

Known as courgettes within the UK and a few components of Europe, the cucumber formed vegetable is at its prime in summer season. However right here in Australia, it’s accessible yr spherical for pretty good worth.

Measurement – It’s finest to make use of small / medium zucchini round 15 – 18cm lengthy (6 – 7″) so it’s straightforward to cook dinner on by means of on the range. You’ll be shocked, it solely takes round 3 to 4 minutes. However in case you have gigantic ones (typically they are often!) you would possibly wish to lower them into quarters.

Spicy CHILLI GARLIC Sauce

This sauce is sweet! Easy with massive flavours. Really not that spicy, it’s delicate. I see myself utilizing this in one other recipe within the foreseeable future.

Observe: I put garlic within the photograph beneath, I ought to have included it within the sauce photograph as a result of we sauté it. 🙂

Sambal Oelak – chilli paste which makes a pleasant sauce for smothering. Made with contemporary chillis, present in giant grocery shops and Asian shops. Fairly spicy eaten plain however mixed with every part else on this sauce, the spiciness is dialled again quite a bit.

Substitute with sriracha (sauce not fairly as shiny) or a not-too-spicy chilli crisp (style and test) – sauce may have chilli crunch chunks and be oilier (yum!).
Sesame oil – Use toasted sesame oil which is brown and has higher sesame flavour. Un-toasted is yellow and the sesame flavour isn’t as robust. Right here in Australia, toasted sesame oil is customary. Un-toasted is tougher to search out.
Soy sauce – Don’t use soy sauce labelled “darkish soy sauce”, means too intense and salty, will destroy the dish. Any normal “soy sauce”, “all-purpose soy sauce” (just like the Kikkoman pictured above) or “mild soy sauce” can be utilized.
Mirin is a candy Japanese cooking wine that’s present in giant grocery shops and Asian shops. Brings a depth of flavour and sweetness into the sauce, is certainly one of 3 core sauces in Japanese cooking (ie it’s good things!). Sub with honey for a non alcoholic model – sauce nonetheless nice however not fairly the identical restaurant-y complexity of flavour. 🙂

Toppings (& garlic)

As talked about above, the garlic ought to actually be within the Sauce part. 🙂

Crispy Fried Shallots – an Asian pantry important! Salty, oily, crunchy, terrific garnish for all issues Asian, from soups to salads. I exploit it liberally – it’s a frequent participant in my recipes so I’ve bought some fundamental details about it right here, in case you might be new to it.

Discover it within the Asian part of grocery store however cheaper at Asian shops.

Substitute with something crunchy you’ll find in your cabinet – croutons, packet crispy noodles), handful of crispy fried rice (I make masses and hold it in jars after I make this salad). I’d even use roughly chopped peanuts.
Inexperienced onion – For freshness. Substitute with finely sliced crimson onion or eschallots (US: shallots aka French onions, these small purple-ish onions). I’d toss them by means of the sauce briefly to make them floppy.

make Spicy Asian Zucchini

Have you ever ever cooked zucchini halves on the range earlier than? It’s a lot sooner than the oven – 6 minutes vs half-hour. Plus beautiful browning on the zucchini that you simply’ll by no means get within the oven irrespective of how excessive you crank it! The zucchini simply goes comfortable and watery. 🙂

Oil & salt – Lower the zucchini in half lengthwise, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt then briefly toss.
Prepare dinner – Utilizing a big non-stick pan heated to medium, put the zucchini in lower facet down and cook dinner for 3 to 4 minutes till it will get good color on it. Then flip and cook dinner the opposite facet for 3 minutes. Give the zucchini a poke – you need it to really feel tender however not comfortable/mushy/completely floppy, and nonetheless somewhat agency within the center. The residual warmth will end cooking it by means of.

Doneness – I wish to cook dinner the zucchini till it’s barely cooked – very crisp tender – so then the residual warmth finishes cooking it by means of as you’re making the sauce and plating up. “Simply cooked” is my choice as a result of the extra you cook dinner zucchini, the extra watery/mushy it will get which dilutes flavour.

Nevertheless, in the event you choose your zucchini totally comfortable during, that’s completely as much as you! Through which case I’d advocate utilizing the oven – it’s somewhat arduous to cook dinner zucchini halves till comfortable on the range. Instructions within the recipe notes.

Garlic – In the identical pan, sauté the garlic till mild golden.
Sauce – Then add the remaining sauce components and simmer for 30 seconds on low warmth till syrupy. Don’t take it too far – I hold making that mistake after I’ve had a number of issues on the go. If it reduces an excessive amount of it will get too salty (although if this occurs, simply add a splash of water to the sauce to skinny it).

Pour the sauce over the pile of zucchinis. I do it this fashion for simplicity – the sauce goes “in every single place” – and I feel it appears to be like good. The opposite means of doing it’s to place the zucchini within the pan and toss to coat evenly.
Garnish – Sprinkle with the crispy shallots (I’m not shy concerning the quantity I exploit) and the inexperienced onion. Then, serve!

serve Spicy Asian Zucchini

The plain option to serve that is as a vegetable facet. A wonderful substantial (fascinating!) one that may go alongside something Asian, from stir fries to noodles to Char Sui Pork to gyoza or Chinese language pan fried dumplings (potstickers).