Grilled cucumber is crisp, tender and slightly charred cucumber cooked by the application of dry heat over preheated grill. It is not very common to cook cucumbers on grill, due to their high water content. The water in cucumbers evaporate during grilling, hence making them dry out at a rapid pace. This is the major reason why cucumbers are not the perfect vegetables for grilling purposes. However, still cucumbers are cooked on grill. It is very important to have a proper vigilance on cucumbers when they are being grilled, so as to achieve nicely grilled cucumbers. The mild flavor of the cucumbers get intensified upon grilling. Large sized cucumbers are considered to be best for grilling purposes. Usually, the cucumbers are first cut into thirds lengthwise, and then each portion is cut into four parts before being grilled.
Preparation Analysis
The simplest grilled cucumber recipe suggests cutting cucumber lengthwise into various slices and then grilling them on hot grill over medium heat. The cucumber slices are flipped during grilling to cook from all sides. The cucumber slices should be removed from grill as soon as they start charring. Cucumber slices are often coated with cooking spray prior to being grilled. Cucumber spears can also be grilled after being marinated in a mix of white miso (soybean paste), sweet rice wine (mirin), sesame oil, and lime juice. Cucumber slices are often basted with reserved fresh marinade during the grilling process.
Serving
Grilled cucumber slices are often served as a side dish after tossing them in a mix of sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Simply sprinkling a mix of black pepper and toasted sesame seeds on grilled cucumbers would also help in enhancing their flavor. Grilled cucumbers pair very well with grilled steak or chicken.
Culinary Uses
The intensely flavored grilled cucumbers are popularly used in the preparation of cold soup, which makes a very good starter in Indian cuisine. Yogurt, cream, and various seasonings, spices, and herbs are used, along with grilled cucumbers, to prepare a delectable cold soup.
Nutrition Facts
Grilled cucumber spears of 76 g provides around 42.6 calories, obtained from 2.4 g of fat, 221 mg of sodium, 5.5 g of carbohydrate, and 0.9 g of protein.