Name: Szechwan Cucumber Salad
Ingredients: 2 tb Small dried wood ear mushrooms; 2 Cucumbers; 4 Red hot peppers cut in thin rounds; 2 ts Light soy sauce; 2 tb Chinese white vinegar; 2 tb Sugar; 1 ts Salt; 1 tb Sesame oil

The more excellent something is the more likely it will be imitated. There are many false diamonds and rubies, but who goes about making counterfeit pebbles? However, the more excellent things are the more difficult it is to imitate them in their essential character and intrinsic virtues. Yet the more variable the imitations be, the more skill and subtlety will be used in making them an exact imitation. So it is with Christian virtues and graces. The devil and men's own deceitful hearts tend to imitate those things that have the highest value. So no graces are more counterfeited than love and humility. For these are the virtues where the beauty of a true Christian is seen most clearly.

Jonathan Edwards

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
	Chinese	Chinese, Salads, Ceideburg 2	1	Salad

INGREDIENTS

2	tb	Small dried wood ear mushrooms
2		Cucumbers
4		Red hot peppers cut in thin rounds
2	ts	Light soy sauce
2	tb	Chinese white vinegar
2	tb	Sugar
1	ts	Salt
1	tb	Sesame oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour boiling water over tree ears; let stand for 15 minutes.  Peel
cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, scrape out seeds.  Slice into thin
half-moons.  When mushrooms are soft, drain, rinse and dry.  (Slice
'em if they're too big.  Wood ears will quadruple in size when
soaked++SC.) Combine with remaining ingredients.  Let stand for 15
minutes then toss again before serving.
NOTE:  (Wood ears can be found in Chinese markets.  After soaking
they have little taste but lots of crunch.  They're there for the
texture.  I can't think of anything to substitute (maybe raw carrots
or water chestnuts) except for dried duck web or jellyfish and you're
much more likely to find wood ears than those items.  Be sure to use
the dark, cooked, Asian sesame oil rather than the light stuff in
health food stores. I'd make this before the ribs and chill it well
while doing the rest.)
It's from the same article by Bruce Cost.
Posted by Stephen Ceideburg April 22 1990.
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip

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