Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Cool Cucumber Salad

So it's the end of the summer, and if you're a home gardener, you might be wondering what to do with the fruit of your over-productive cucumber plant.  Here's a recipe, for a quick and refreshing "salad" that takes 5-10 minutes to make.  My kids love it, and hopefully yours will too!

(As a disclaimer, my Chinese relatives think it's funny that I count this as one of the Chinese dishes I can make. It's probably too simplistic to end up on any restaurant menu, yet we eat it all the time!)

1 medium-sized cucumber
1/2 teaspoon granule chicken stock (I use "Knorr" brand)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (I use "Kadoya" brand)

1.  Peel cucumber, cut off both ends, and slice in half--length-wise.
2.  Using a spoon, scrape the flesh from each half of the cucumber. It should look like this:

3.  Cut cucumbers in approximately 1/2 inch slices (Any shape is fine as long as the slices are not too thin.)
4.  Add granule chicken stock and stir until dissolved.
5.  Drizzle with sesame oil; stir until combined.
6.  Let stand 5-10 minutes, and then enjoy!