sustenance

food. recipes. restaurants. food news.

 

Hot and Sour Cucumbers

I love cucumber salads.  They are a perfect accompaniment to hot and spicy foods (like Thai curries).  I like this particular recipe a lot.  By salting the cucumbers in the beginning, the excess moisture is removed and the result is a crisp texture.  Chill this salad a bit before serving.  It's very good cold.  This recipe is easily doubled.

Hot and Sour Cucumbers

2 medium-sized cucumbers, peeled
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 cup fish sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 large red chili, finely sliced on the diagonal
Black pepper and salt, to taste

Cut cucumbers in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds using a spoon. Slice on the diagonal into one inch pieces.  Combine in a bowl with sugar and salt, mix well and leave to stand for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine vinegar and 1/4 cup sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan and stir over heat until sugardissolves. Simmer, uncovered  for about 8 minutes, or until reduced by one-third and  slightly syrupy. Set aside to cool.

Drain away any excess liquid from cucumbers. Add cooled vinegar syrup and remaining ingredients to
pickled cucumbers.  Season with black pepper and salt and serve.

Note: This dish  is best served the day it's made.

posted by: artichoke72 at 22:54 | link | comments (1) |
all recipes, asian recipes

Carrot Cinnamon Bread

This is a recipe from my friend Donna in California.  She is the queen of quick breads and cookies.  My son was hesitant to eat this (vegetables are the most terrifying things on Earth to him), but he really liked it.  I subbed 1 cup of whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe.  Next time I make this bread, I will use less sugar.  It's a little too sweet for my tastes (and I'm a sugar addict).  I got 4 small loaves from this recipe and it took about 40 minutes for them to bake. 

 Carrot Cinnamon Bread

1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 cups grated carrots
3 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsps. baking powder
2 tsps. baking soda
2 1/2 tsps. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour pans (pan sizes posted at end of recipe).
In a medium bowl combine dry ingrediets, mix to blend and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla and mix well.  Add carrots and blend. Add the dry ingredients slowly and mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.

*Pan sizes* This will make (2) 8X5 loaves plus (1) small 4X2 loaf or you can make (3) 7X5 loaves plus
(1) 4X2 loaf.  Baking is about 35-38 minutes. Test with a toothpick after 35 mins.

Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

posted by: artichoke72 at 13:40 | link | comments (1) |
all recipes, vegetarian recipes, quick breads