Sweet and Sour Cucumber Skins

An unusual tangy cold vegetable—a Peking specialty. Barely cooked, the cucumber skins are wonderfully crisp. The sauce is sweet and sour with a touch of hotness. The vinegar is added after the cucumber and sauce are cool to prevent the acid from dulling the bright green skin. You really should have unwaxed cucumbers for this. In a pinch, however, you can use the waxed kind.

Serve these as a vegetable dish, part of an assorted cold platter, or, shredded, as a spicy touch to a green s