Spicy Cucumber Salad

We got cucumbers in our CSA box and I decided to make a marinated salad.

1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (adjust up or down to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped or ripped
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced, peeled if you want (or if not using organic)
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, cut in thin strips

Bring vinegar to a boil and add sugar, salt and red pepper flakes, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for one minute and remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. Whisk in sesame oil. Put cucumbers, onion, carrot and basil in a bowl and pour dressing over. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. Use slotted spoon to serve.

Picture credit: Under Creative Commons license from stu_spivack at Flickr.com.