Ssamjang Tuna Cabbage Wraps, Xi’an-Style Cucumber Salad & Chile-Crisp Avocado

Xi’an-Style Cucumber Salad

Lightly crushing and salting the cucumbers gives the dressing places to cling while keeping it from becoming watery. Sesame paste adds body, balanced by vinegar, garlic, and fresh herbs.

Ingredients

• 1½ lb Persian or English cucumbers
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tbsp well-stirred tahini
• 2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp gluten-free tamari
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 small clove garlic, finely grated
• 1–3 tbsp cold water, as needed
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Lightly crack the cucumbers with the flat of a knife or a rolling pin, keeping them mostly intact. Cut into irregular 1-inch chunks.
2. Toss with the salt and leave in a colander for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and blot dry; do not rinse.
3. Whisk the tahini, rice vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, honey, and garlic together. Whisk in cold water a little at a time until the dressing is pourable but still coats a spoon.
4. Just before serving, toss the cucumbers with the dressing, most of the scallions, and the cilantro. Taste for acidity and salt, then finish with the remaining scallions and sesame seeds.

Notes

• Tahini can tighten when acid is added; keep whisking in water gradually until smooth.
• Use greenhouse-grown Persian or English cucumbers for a crisp November version.

Napa Cabbage Wraps with Ssamjang Tuna Salad

Ssamjang supplies fermented savoriness and gentle heat, while mayonnaise binds the tuna without making it heavy. Tender napa leaves provide a crisp-edged wrapper that contrasts with the creamy filling.

Ingredients

• 8 large napa cabbage leaves
• 3 5-oz cans tuna, thoroughly drained
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 1½ tbsp ssamjang
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• 2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a wide pot of water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water. Shave down the thickest part of each cabbage rib without cutting through the leaf.
2. Blanch the leaves in batches for 20–40 seconds, just until flexible but still lightly crisp. Transfer immediately to ice water, then drain and pat very dry.
3. Flake the drained tuna into a bowl. Fold in the mayonnaise, ssamjang, scallions, rice vinegar, and pepper, keeping some texture in the fish.
4. Taste the filling before adding any salt; ssamjang and canned tuna may provide enough. Add a little more ssamjang only if you want stronger seasoning.
5. Divide the filling among the eight leaves. Fold the sides inward and bring the leafy end over the filling to form loose, flat parcels. Leave slightly open rather than forcing a tight roll.

Notes

• If the leaves are small, overlap two to make each wrapper.
• Ssamjang varies in sweetness, heat, and wheat content. For a gluten-free version of the meal, use certified gluten-free ssamjang and verify the mayonnaise and chile crisp labels.

Avocado with Momofuku Chile Crisp

The avocado needs little more than a concentrated spoonful of crunchy chile condiment. Its cool richness softens the heat while the crisp aromatics supply texture.

Ingredients

• 2 large ripe avocados
• 4 tsp Momofuku chile crisp, or more to taste
• to taste flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Halve the avocados lengthwise and remove the pits, leaving the flesh in the skins.
2. Stir the chile crisp so each spoonful contains both oil and crunchy solids. Spoon about 1 teaspoon into each avocado cavity.
3. Taste a little avocado with the condiment and add flaky salt only if needed. Serve immediately with a spoon.

Notes

• For the generous topping shown, add more crunchy solids rather than flooding the cavity with oil.

Overall Timing / Workflow

Salting the cucumbers first creates time to prepare the wrappers and filling. Dressing the salad and cutting the avocados last keeps the finished lunch fresh.

Instructions

1. 0:00 — Cut and salt the cucumbers. Put the cabbage-blanching water on to boil and prepare an ice bath.
2. 0:05 — Trim, blanch, chill, and thoroughly dry the cabbage leaves.
3. 0:12 — Mix the ssamjang tuna filling and whisk together the cucumber dressing.
4. 0:20 — Drain and blot the cucumbers. Fill and fold the cabbage parcels.
5. 0:25 — Dress and garnish the cucumber salad. Halve the avocados, add chile crisp, and plate everything.

Plating

Keeping the dressed cucumber salad in a small bowl prevents its sauce from soaking the cabbage parcels. The avocado in its skin echoes the simple, casual presentation.

Instructions

1. Place a small bowl of cucumber salad on each plate, spooning a little dressing around the cucumbers and leaving the sesame seeds and scallions visible.
2. Arrange two cabbage parcels alongside each bowl, leafy folds facing up.
3. Nestle a chile-crisp avocado half beside the wraps and serve with a spoon and chopsticks or a fork.

Leftover Path

Storing the wet and crisp components separately preserves their textures. Extra tuna filling is easy to turn into another quick cabbage-wrap lunch.

Instructions

1. Refrigerate tuna filling or assembled wraps promptly in an airtight container and eat within 3 days. Keep spare dried cabbage leaves separate when possible.
2. Store undressed cucumbers and dressing separately for up to 2 days. Dressed cucumber salad is best eaten within 24 hours because it continues to release water.
3. For another lunch, spoon the cold tuna filling into fresh cabbage leaves and loosen any thickened sesame dressing with a splash of water.
4. Avocado is best cut to order. Cover a leftover half tightly against its surface, refrigerate, and use within 24 hours; add chile crisp just before eating.