Japanese ginger and garlic chicken with smashed cucumber | Matching Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp sake or dry sherry
• 3 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp brown miso
• 60g (2oz) root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 tsp togarashi seasoning (available in Waitrose), or 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 8 good-sized skinless bone-in chicken thighs, or other bone-in chicken pieces
• 500g (1lb 2oz) cucumber
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp pink pickled ginger, very finely shredded
• small handful of shiso leaves, if available, or mint leaves, torn (optional)