It seems to me that where Asians have no equal, it is in salads made from the simplest ingredients. You can easily open the refrigerator and make dozens of variations that will differ in taste. One of the tricks is refills. Usually it is 3-5 components that turn dull vegetables into an orchestra of flavors and textures. I understood this from the first trips to China, so I always have a couple of bottles of sauces on hand and always a lot of chili peppers.
In the summer you always look for some simple dishes, so as not to cook them for hours. And if the finished salad is also wildly refreshing with its crunchy ingredients, sweet sauce and spiciness of some ingredients – I can tell you for sure, you will not calm down until you eat the whole cup!
Interesting: Beijing cabbage is one of the most popular ingredients in China, it is added to salads, soups, dishes are served in its leaves and even deep-fried.
Combine sugar (1 tbsp), soy sauce (3 tbsp), vinegar (1 tbsp) and sesame oil (1 tsp) in a bowl, mix well. Now questions about replacing vinegar and oil will fall. Look, you can take any vinegar (5-7%), but it will be tastiest with white wine, followed by apple, and then it’s better to refuse altogether if these are not available. I recommend finding good vinegar, it will always come in handy in the kitchen, especially since summer is the time for salads. With sesame oil, the same story, if not, skip this ingredient. But if you buy and try, you will never forget this taste.
Cut Chinese cabbage (150 g) into thin strips. Interestingly, in Beijing it is simply called cabbage, and in many countries simply Chinese. If not at hand, take an iceberg or something similar, but not ordinary cabbage.
Chicken fillet (60 g) cut into thin slices 2-3 mm thick. You can take ready-made shrimp and anything (meat, other poultry, even tuna). If so, you can take nothing. Of course, the fillet should be ready, I usually take “from yesterday”.
Chili (4 pcs) finely chopped with seeds. The question of sharpness is very piquant (sorry for the pun), so everyone decides for himself what he is capable of. Again, you can skip this step, but the spiciness just gives you that refreshing effect that you’re looking forward to in the summer.
Carrots (60 g) cut into thin strips (or grate).
Cut the onion diagonally into 3 cm pieces.
Ginger (2 cm) grate on a coarse grater. Dried will not work here, they have completely different flavors and properties. If there is no ginger, grate a couple of cloves of garlic, it will also be fine.
Combine all the vegetables in a cup and pour over the prepared dressing.
Once mixed, serve immediately in serving bowls. Don’t over tighten because the sauce will sink down and the vegetables will begin to soak. We need crunchy tasty ingredients and an even dressing. Therefore, we combine everything already before serving.
