THE CHINESE CUCURBITS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 40

CULINARY USES
Surprisingly enough, most people don't appreciate how to use cucumbers. I can see
your eyebrows going up, but most cucumbers in the United States are eaten raw in
salads, or possibly served with sour cream (as in Russia) or in yogurt (as in the Middle
East), but even that barely scratches the surface.
SLICED AND MARINATED . In both Japan and Germany, cucumbers are served thinly
sliced and marinated in a slightly sweetened vinegar, then drained and set out as a rel-
ish at almost any main meal. For an easy marinade, use 1 cup water, ½ cup vinegar,
2 teaspoons sugar, and a pinch of salt; let sit for about an hour. In Japan, the vinegar
will be rice vinegar and the salt may be in the form of soy sauce, but the basic recipe
is similar. I prefer cider vinegar for its snap; you may prefer white vinegar. This is a
refreshing and easy pickle, good for unexpected guests because it is so quick.
STUFFED . Stuffed cucumbers make a good summer salad, a great dish for a buffet. To
stuff:
1. Take a slice off each end, and scoop out the seeds with a small spoon.
2. Fill the cavity with any of the following: anchovies, celery, and hard-boiled eggs
in curried mayonnaise; shrimp, bean sprouts, and chives in dill yogurt; red caviar,
minced onion, and sour cream (these are just a few suggestions).
3. Wrap the cucumbers in plastic and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
4. To serve, slice ½-inch thick and arrange on leaf lettuce or thin slices of French bread;
melba rounds will work, too.
SAUTÉED . Cooking cucumbers offers the most surprises. Peeled, seeded, diced, and
sautéed for 3 minutes in sesame oil, sprinkled with chopped chives, and simmered in
½ cup chicken broth, cucumbers turn translucent, like pickled watermelon rind. The
beautiful pale green contrasts with the dark green of the chives to make an Asian pic-
ture. Cucumbers cooked in this fashion stay crisp and are very digestible; even people
who think they can't eat or don't like cucumbers will enjoy them this way. (In fact,
many of your guests won't even recognize what vegetable they're eating.)
COOKED WITH YOGURT, MEATS, AND OTHER VEGETABLES .
For another quick company dish try this: