Pickled Cherry Tomatoes with Dried Plums – Happy Chinese New Year!

Pickled Cherry Tomatoes with Dried Plums – Happy Chinese New Year!

My lovely friend Ming of Butterfingers blog invited us to participate in cooking something for Chinese New Year, which falls on 23 January 2012. It’s the year of the Dragon, not only an auspicious year, but the very year she was born in. What a fantastic omen!

Now, with the knowledge that I had a manic week before departing to Amsterdam in the ridiculously early hours of Saturday morning, Ming not only gathered the ingredients for this dish, she came to visit me and we cooked it together. It is really easy to make, as you can tell from the brevity of the ingredient list. The flavours of sour, sweet, salty work so well. Mint adds a fresh burst at the end. This dish is best served cold, and Ming recommends it as an appetizer.

Ingredients

350 g cherry tomatoes

water, to cover

40 ml rice wine vinegar

For the Dried Plum Dressing

1 cup cup wine vinegar

3/4 cup water

50 g dried plums (From Asian supermarkets)

10 ml sugar

6- 8 small mint leaves

 Method

Lightly score one end of the tomatoes.

Boil enough water to cover the tomatoes in a small pot. Add the 40 ml rice wine vinegar.

Boil tomatoes for less than a minute. Remove, drain and refresh under cold water and add ice to stop the cooking process.

Skin tomatoes and set aside.

In mean while boil all the dressing ingredients together, until reduced by a third.

Remove from heat and leave  to cool completely.

Add tomatoes to cooled dressing. Leave for 5 minutes.

Arrange tomatoes on a plate, spoon a bit of the dressing over and scatter with mint leaves.