Asian Chicken with Smacked Cucumber in Garlic Sauce

I got these recipes from the Washington Post because I'm part of their virtual cookbook club. I made changes to the Asian Chicken recipe (called Black Bean Chicken on the website). Both were super tasty, I give them each a 9, and they're going in my permanent recipe book.

Asian Chicken (it's like a tasty stir fry): https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/black-bean-chicken-dou-chi-ji-ding/17477/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=wp_vessential_5

Smacked Cucumber: https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/smacked-cucumber-garlicky-sauce-suan-ni-pai-huan-gua/17478/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=wp_vessential_5

You may need to find substitutions for some items but a Google search makes that easy. 

Add green onions to the chicken when you're ready to eat: 

Asian Chicken

Servings: 2
Total time: 30 minutes 

For the marinade:
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (sub sherry or marinin cooking wine)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons potato flour (not same as potato starch)
1 teaspoon light soy sauce (not same as reduced-sodium soy sauce)
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (3/4 tsp.)  

For the chicken:
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 thighs) (I used flattened chicken breasts, about 1 lb.)
1 small green bell pepper, or 1/2 each red and green bell pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
An equivalent amount of grated ginger, peeled (or more)
2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed and drained (I used 1 1/2 Tb. black bean garlic paste from the Asian grocery store aisle)
1 to 2 teaspoons ground chiles, to taste (1/2 - 1 tsp. of basic, ground chilies in the spice aisle)
Fine sea salt, to taste
2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds (as needed)

Steps

Stir together the marinade ingredients. Cut the chicken into 3/8- to 3/4-inch cubes and add it to marinade. Mix well.

Cut the pepper(s) into small squares to match the chicken. Heat a wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, then the peppers, and stir-fry until hot and slightly cooked, but still crisp. Remove and set aside.

Reheat the wok over high heat. Add the sesame remaining oil, swirl it around, then add the marinated chicken and stir-fry to separate the pieces. When they have separated and are starting to become pale, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until they smell delicious. Add the black beans and stir a few times until you can smell them. Then add the ground chilies and return the peppers to the wok. Continue to stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through and everything is sizzlingly delicious, seasoning with salt to taste. Then stir in the scallions and, off the heat, the sesame oil. Add sesame seeds. Serve. 

Nutritional facts (per serving): Calories: 950; Protein: 89 g; Carbohydrates: 12 g; Fat: 61 g; Saturated Fat: 14 g; Cholesterol: 399 mg; Sodium: 1556 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 5 g.

Smacked Cucumber

Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

1 cucumber (about 11 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 - 2 teaspoons light soy sauce (not same as reduced-sodium soy sauce)
1/2 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar (sub sherry or marini cooking wine)
2 tablespoons chile oil (I bought Hot Chile Oil from the Asian aisle and used 1/2 tsp. 1 tsp. wouldn't be too bad, I think). 
1 to 2 pinches ground roasted Sichuan pepper (optional) 

Steps

Lay the cucumber on a chopping board and smack it hard a few times with the flat blade of a Chinese cleaver or with a rolling pin. Then cut it, lengthways, into four pieces. Hold your knife at an angle to the chopping board and cut the cucumber on the diagonal into 1/8- to 3/8-inch slices.

Place in a bowl with the salt, mix well and set aside for about 10 minutes.

Combine all the other ingredients in a small bowl.

Drain the cucumber, pour the sauce over them, stir well and serve.

Nutritional facts (per serving): Calories: 152; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 9 g; Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 745 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 4 g.