Surprisingly I'm not talking about something that is necessarily a Chinese food, or at lest I don't think so. But a lot of Chinese restaurants I've been to serve a cucumber salad. My favorite one being The Mandarin here in Fort Wayne. During the week they have a lunch special that comes w/ so many appetizers before the actual meal, I am usually full by the time my dish arrives. One of the best "teasers" they serve is their marinated cucumbers. They are the perfect blend of tangy, sweet, salty--hitting all of those taste buds on the tongue just right. And there was always a little something that made them special I could never quite figure out. My mother-in-law deserves the credit for finally solving the mystery (I'll give credit where credit is due!!). After experimenting w/ different ingredients she came upon the special little "zing" that made theirs the best ever. Lemon extract. Yep, it was that simple. I have many recipes for cucumber salad which include onion, but this one is simply cucumbers and sauce. So good, so refreshing--especially on a day when the humidity is at 200%--which happens a lot during Indiana summers! I'm serving them as a side w/ a new sandwich recipe, so check back tomorrow for that recipe and see how the meal comes together!
Marinated Cucumbers
2-3 large cucumbers
2 tsp salt
6 TBS sugar
2/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp lemon extract
Pepper to taste
Wash and thinly slice the cucumbers. Combine rest of ingredients and whisk well. Pour over cucumbers. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
Shared on Simply Delish July 15, 2011
Shared on Gooseberry Patch July 27, 2011
Shared on Everyday Sisters Sept. 11, 2011
2 comments:
Is lemon extract different from lemon juice?
Hi Sheri~ Yes, it's more concentrated than just lemon juice. It can be found on the baking aisle. Hence, why it only calls for 1 tsp. LOL It's very tart. But when experimenting with this, we tried juice only, and it wasn't nearly enough "zing" :) Hope this helps!
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