Cloud ear & pickled carrot salad

(serves 4)

Adapted from Kylie Kwong's Simple Chinese Cooking

It's not often I'll look at a Chinese cookbook - maybe because I think all the good ones are in Chinese and I have no chance at reading it! But many years ago I was given the Kylie Kwong cookbook and have looked in it from time to time but never committed to any recipe. Recently I was thinking about what to make for Chinese New Year and also for some friends coming over and came across this salad. Not sure if it's very traditional but it is using cloud ear, which seems pretty Chinese to me! It's a little on the sour side with the pickled vegetables, but that makes it very refreshing for these hot summer days! 

Prep time: 60 min (30 min of work, the rest is just waiting around)

Cooking time: 10 min

Ingredients
2 carrots
2 cucumber
2 tsp salt
1 C white vinegar
1/4 C sugar
60 g cloud ear fungus (dried)
6-8 leaves Chinese cabbage (or kale)
4 sprigs green shallots
1/2 C sweet Thai basil leaves
1/2 C mint
2 tsp roasted sesame seeds
pinch Sichuan pepper and salt (optional)

Dressing
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 T malt vinegar
 1/2 tsp chilli oil

Method
1. Using a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the carrot and cucumber. Cut the carrot ribbons into a fine julienne then place in a bowl with half the salt. Place the cucumber ribbons in a separate bowl with the remaining salt and allow it to rest for  30-60 minutes.
NB. The salt softens the vegetables by removing the water.

2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over heat until the sugar is melted. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes until the liquid becomes slightly syrup-like. Set aside to cool. 
3. Squeeze the water out of the vegetables and place the vegetables in the cooled syrup to lightly pickle them.
4. Soak the cloud ear for 10 minutes in warm water until rehydrated. Check if there are any remaining 'stem/base' parts that are hard, if so then tear or chop it off.

5. Wash and finely slice the Chinese cabbage (or kale). Julienne the green shallots and tear the basil and mint leaves from the stems. Place in a large salad bowl with the cloud ear.
6. Combine the dressing ingredients and toss half of the dressing with the cabbage, cloud ear and herbs in the salad bowl. Remove the pickled vegetables from the syrup and add to the salad.
7. Toss through the remaining dressing, sesame seeds and Sichuan pepper and salt. Serve chilled.