A small cucumber salad to serve as a regular vegetable dish, as a simple salad with any meal, or as a side dish with a Chinese meal.

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
* 5 teaspoons sesame oil
* a pinch of ground sichuan pepper
* ½ red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

METHOD:
1. Put slices of cucumber in a bowl.
2. Sprinkle with sugar and salt.
3. Cover and refrigerate for about 12 hours.
4. Drain off the liquid.
5. Whisk together, vinegar and sesame oil.
6. Season with pepper and chilli to taste.

Open Sesame!
Sesame is a herb cultivated in Asia and other warm regions. It has violet flowers. Its seeds yields sesame oil. Sesame seeds contain a lot of fat, mostly unsaturated fat. Weight watchers should perhaps exercise moderation.

Sesame seeds contain calcium. The seeds are also rich in Vitamin A and E. Therefore, I believe that sesame oil is a powerful antioxidant with potential antioxidant effects.

Sesame oil is used for nail health in the Chinese and Ayurvedic traditions of health and beauty too. (An easy treatment for cracked and brittle nails: Heat some sesame oil on low until it is warm, and soak your nails for 15 to 20 minutes.)

I have got two very different kinds of sesame oil in my refrigerator. The first one is toasted sesame oil. It has a rich golden brown color and a very intense sesame flavor. It burns easily, so I do not use that as a cooking oil. However, a few drops added at the end of cooking a stir fry, or drizzled on a salad, will give the dish a unique and delightful nutty flavor.

The other kind of sesame oil is pale yellow in colour, thinner than toasted sesame oil. It has only a slight nutty taste. Especially good for wok cooking and dressings.

Warning!
People, who are allergic to sesame, poppy seeds, kiwi fruit, hazelnuts and rye, should avoid sesame oil. It may contain small amounts of proteins, which can cause severe allergy reactions.

Source: My Recipes