Recipe - Pickled Celery

6 Celery stalks
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
1 tablespoon Vinegar
One half teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Sugar
3 dr Sesame oil; more or less

1. Remove leaves, tough ends and stringy portions of celery stalks; then
cut in 1inch sections. (If stalks are wide, cut lengthwise in half first.)
Blanch to soften slightly. Place in a bowl.

2. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Add to celery
and toss.

3. Refrigerate, covered, only to chill (about 20 minutes).

NOTE: If the celery is young and tender, blanching isn't necessary.

VARIATIONS: Before step 2, add any of the following to the celery:

ABALONE: One half cup canned, either slivered or cut in strips. Omit the
vinegar; double the soy sauce.

CHICKEN: 1 cup cooked, either slivered or cut in strips. Omit the
vinegar.

SHRIMP: One fourth cup, cooked and minced. Omit the sugar.

WALNUTS: One half cup, shelled and blanched.

From The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook, ISBN 0517658704. Downloaded
from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.