59. Chinese bean sprouts salad (liang cai)

Bean Sprout Salad

Waved good-bye to the mediterranean sun and heat, we quickly dived into another kind of summer…
Grandpa called last night, asked, ‘it has been the hottest two days since you left, how about there?’ I told him it has been a bit cold for summer days in Oxford, he laughed, ‘how good! Here, I have to turn on the air conditioning, then stay indoors all the time. Ha… but you would still like it, don’t you?’ -- Yes, I like the heat, I guess it is to do with I was born in the hottest time of the summer, and my mum had to do the traditional confinement in the house, which helped me build up the heat tolerance from the very very early age.

Our friends in Spain all wished to spend summer here, to have cooler days, while we want to be in the hot waves. How interesting we want to cross over to each other’s side!

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When I was little, one day I walked through the narrow streets, then arrived at a busy road, my school was right on the other side. I was scared to cross the road, always just stood there, and kept on standing on this side watching people waiting for the traffic slow down so that they could cross to the other side, then carry on their journey of the day.

I did not understand why people needed to cross, why they couldn’t just stay on their own side - they could find their happiness there. Not until I grew up, gradually I understand this is life, we have to cross the roads to do things we need to do, and meet each other, and then probably will say good bye to each other, does not matter how many people have passed by, this is how people knit a big net on the surface of the earth. And that road becomes a wider road, then a land, then a continent, and an ocean...

See now, like me, I want to cross the sea to feel the heat…:)

Chinese bean sprouts salad

I hope summer is still here, it is just playing hide and seek at the moment, it will come back. Then my summer recipe continues as well - bean sprouts salad / liangcai.

I know I have said that I did not like bean sprouts for a long while, but time to time, I still want to give a try - to grab the memory when I was at home, maybe?

But this salad/liangcai recipe certainly refreshed the taste as well as my memory. It is simple and quick, oh, and healthy.:) It is not involved with actual stir frying, just boil the bean sprouts, and make the sauce with the ‘usual’ seasonings.

Here you go.

The recipe

Ingredients

Bean sprout 1 bag (Bean sprout made from mung beans is very good for this recipe, otherwise, yellow beans also do.)

Minced garlic, salt, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, crushed chilli (optional), oil.

Cooking

1) Boil the bean sprouts first in the water - but not long time though, after bringing to the boiling point, last for anther two minutes, then remove it from the wok. (This is only just getting rid of the ‘rawness’ from the bean sprouts. Bean sprouts still need to be crunchy and juicy. )

2) Rinse the bean sprouts in the cold water, then place them into the plate.

3) Place the wok on the fire, pour in around 2 tablespoon of oil, then add in 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1/3 teaspoon of crushed chilli, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, a small pinch of sugar. Mix everything well.

4) When it is bubbling in the wok, turn off the fire.

5) Add in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.

6) Pour the sauce on top of the bean sprouts, and mix well.

(You can also put all the seasoning directly on the bean sprouts without needing to heat the oil.)

--- Done! Easy and quick, no? And very fresh!