Quick Pickled Carrot-Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
4 medium carrots, sliced diagonally
3 Spring onions, greens and white, chopped*
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced diagonally


dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 inch knob ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


Directions:
Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Toss with the rest of the salad ingredients. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.



*I find that occasionally there is a tightly packed and slightly tough little section right where white bulb meets the green. I normally just toss that part and just use the bulb and the upper 3/4 of the greens.

My thoughts:

This is a crisp, fresh tasting salad that is a great way to show off some in season vegetables. It can be made up to a day before you serve it which makes it a great choice for picnics and parties. I got my inspiration for this salad from the little bowls of pickled vegetables that often accompany Vietnamese dinners or that adorn b�nh m�. This recipe is similar in spirit to those pickles but with a slight twist: the addition of sesame, which I think lends an extra layer of flavor and texture and helps the vegetables from fully absorbing the dressing and becoming soggy too quickly.