Happy 4704! (year of the dog)

Here are recipes for an appetizer and a dessert that people really liked at my new year's dinner. The recipes were from here

I love food

Chinese pickles
1 lb. cucumber (preferably the long skinny English or Japanese varieties)
½ tsp. salt

dressing
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
½-1 tsp. chile bean paste, depending upon desired heat
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
¼ tsp. salt

serves 6 as a side

1 Trim the ends and discard. Cut the remainder into 2" sections. Quarter each section, trim off any really seedy bits, and slice to form ½" thick batons. Transfer the cucumber sticks to a sieve or colander; toss with ½ tsp. salt and let sit over a bowl for an hour to drain off excess water from the cucumbers.
2 Meanwhile, mix up the dressing ingredients. When the cucumbers have been salted for an hour, toss them with the dressing. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours to let the flavors sink in.

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Chinese new year cake (Nian gao)

1 lb. glutinous rice flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter
3 cups milk
½ cup red bean paste

serves 12 or more (this stuff is heavy)

1 Mix the glutinous rice flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. Grease a 9”x13” baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350F. Melt the butter and let cool for 10 minutes.
2 In a big bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar; then add the cooled melted butter and stir some more. Beat in the red bean paste.
3 Now pour in the milk. The mixture will be quite liquidy, and you might find it easier to switch to a whisk. Whisk until combined; add the dry mixture gradually, beating it into the liquid until you have a fairly even batter.
4 Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and bake for 1 hour. The cake should feel set when pressed; a toothpick inserted into the cake should come out mostly clean. Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes, then cut up and serve.