73. Chinese Courgette salad recipe

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Chinese courgette salad

Verona

I think it was only since I came to Europe that I learned how to appreciate history -- the history written on the surfaces of ancient roads, hundreds years old buildings, and thousands years old, yet still functioning theaters...

It is true China has over five thousands years history, but nowadays, modern sky scrapers have become the signature of our modern society; rapid change is taking place in every corner of every city; history only prevails protected behind the museums’ walls.

So, here, in Italy, seeing all those ancient buildings still in use, the uneven surface of the roads still serving its purpose after hundreds of years, I feel that the word ‘old’ cannot describe what I am seeing; ‘beautiful’, ‘surreal’ are probably more appropriate.

I feel even a bit jealous of the local people, when they go to the theater, which was original built over 2000 years ago, and still functions now, they become the part of the ‘on-going’ history...

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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!

52. Chinese salad (liang cai): seaweed with garlic

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凉拌海带

How spoilt I am here in Spain by the seaside! And I am totally following Spanish eating habits and lifestyle --- get up in the morning, having light breakfast, then go down to swim in the sea; come back for lunch, my mother-in-law already prepared some typical Spanish rice or soup dish, which have all become my favorite these years; then siesta; then get up for merienda (snack after getting up from the nap); go to the town centre for a walk -- culture absorption; then dinner, followed by ‘after dinner walk’, then sleep with the sounds of the waves from the sea… Can life be more relaxing and more beautiful?

I remember when I was young, when holiday came, the teachers (and my dad) would give me a long reading list, I was buried with the books, text books and home works. Now, we all grow up, no need to be given reading list anymore, but in China, with the rapid changes in the city, in the life, like my friend, who now works in Shanghai, once said, 'the scenery around us, and the lives we have here change too quickly, we need to keep up by putting head down and working hard and harder, don't have time to slow down to think about we have done, or what the life is about, or to enjoy it..." --- Sad, but true.

----And, here I am, almost feel guilty for not doing anything. I tell my mother-in-law, ‘I am not doing anything’, she smiles and replies, ‘good, no? You just need to relax!’ Thanks to them, I learn to appreciate the sun, the sea, the food, the life, each breath, and each vision, like never before. I think I also learned to be satisfied, even for small things, and to be positive and happy.

Chinese Seaweed

One of the great benefits of being by the seaside is to enjoy all the health benefits from sea water, such as iodine intake.

Among all sea plants, I especially like seaweed (this particular one in English is known as Kombu or kelp . I really like its Chinese name - hai dai , as sea belt, because its shape is like a belt, well, a big, wide belt. :)

I did not know that this "sea belt" mainly grows in the waters of Russia, Japan, Korea and China, until I checked up online. Seaweed has always been a very common ingredient in Northern Chinese cuisine , and it is especially used in Chinese salads (liang cai).

In England, I normally buy this kind of seaweed in Chinese, Korean or Japanese supermarkets.
It is different to what we normally called "seaweed", which it is sold as fried / crispy in Chinese or Korean restaurants. This seaweed looks like a big green leaf, but much bigger, and its texture is somewhere in-between rubber and green leaves --- no, I am running out of words to explain--- sorry. :) Its surface is a bit sticky. It is normally very cheap to buy, and after soaking, it turns into quite a big portion, so one package can make into a few plates. It is normally sold dry, you have to soak it in the water for a while, then it can be cooked as salad, stir-fried or soups.

This type of seaweed if considered to be very healthy and useful, and it is good to have it often, however, you need to be careful not take too much, since it contains high level of iodine, it might disturb your thyroid function.

The Recipe: Chinese Seaweed Salad

Here is one of the simplest ways of preparing Chinese seaweed -- a salad dish, good for the summer and for boosting your energy, especially if you are far away from the sea.

Ingredients

Seaweed (kombu) (I used the seaweed as the main ingredients, and added in a little bit shredded carrots, but it can be mixed with other things as well, for example, dried beancurd sheet, and fried salted peanuts.)

Salt, sesame oil, sugar, light soy sauce, vinegar, garlic.

Preparing Seaweed Salad

1) Soak and chop 2 leaves of seaweed into thin strips.

2) Chop 5 (or more) gloves of garlic.

3) Shred one carrot.

Mixing the ingredients

Mix chopped seaweed, garlic and carrot all together, and add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoon of vinegar, 2 tablespoon of light soy sauce, and around 3 tablespoons of sesame oil, mix everything together ---

----- Done!

Serve as a salad/ liang cai dish, or a small side dish, it can be kept in the fridge for a few days if there is enough salt, and well covered for it not to get dry.
It is good to go with rice or beer, or as a side dish with steamed bread, dumplings, noodles. :)

44. Chinese radish salad

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I know, I know.. :)) I have been talking about the weather all the time. Many years ago, I was learning English culture when I was still in China, it said in the book that one of the most common topics in England was the weather. I never really took it seriously, until one day I was chatting with a friend online who was studying in Canada, suddenly he said, “you have become so English! You are talking about weather all the time”. … Ha… Now I think he is right, just look at the posts I had here, weather, weather…:))

Radish in Northern Chinese Cuisine

Radish, radish! My friend Zhenya really loves radish, she introduced those pickled radish to me, since then, I could not stop ( Chinese radish pickles are different). In northeast China, there are many radish dishes , and according to different seasons, different types of radish harvest, and they are cooked differently. For example, having raphanus sativus as salad for summer, it is a good way of cooling the heat from the body along with a big detoxing.:) --- In addition, given the healthy properties in radish, and without really much oil, it is a super healthy dish!! :)

-- In addition, given the healthy properties in radish, and without really much oil, it is a super healthy dish!! :)

But the radish here is very different to the ones in China, again, my knowledge is rather poor, especially when coming to distinguish the different types of radish and name them in English, should I just say it this way -- the ones I can use in original recipes are mainly those small round ones. And in recent years, I found the other type -- white, long, fatter radish, called Raphanus sativus , in Chinese, it called bai luo bo , as white radish . Both the small round radish and Raphanus sativus are juicy and crunchy, I just like them in the salad. So I mixed them together, (otherwise, it is only Raphanus sativus).

My mum loves Raphanus sativus, when it is the season, she likes to have it almost accompany with every meal, and it is very simple -- chop them and dip with soybean paste . I think she definetly has a great influence on me about this, I love them since I was little, I remember I used to go there and would "steal" a few pieces first, when mum was chopping them. :))

Here, in England, in some Chinese supermarkets, you can get them, otherwise, in Japanese shops, you usually can get them as well, but with a bit higher price. A few times, in the market we normally go to, they were selling them --- as you can imagine, we bought big bunches.

The recipe: Chinese radish salad

This salad / liangcai dish is very simple - a bit sweet and sour , mixed with the taste of soy sauce .

The only thing you need to be careful is, this kind of radish we call it cold food in Chinese medical term , so if you have stomach problem, you should avoid having it… Sorry… I know, I have to be very careful with my stomach too. :(

Ingredients

Radish (I used a bag as it sold in the supermarket), Raphanus sativus (one big size)

Salt, sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar

Preparation

1) Peel and chop Raphanus sativus into thin slice (say around 0.3cm).

2) Halve the small red radish, just for mixing with the seasonings easily.

3) Put all chopped radish together in a salad plate, then add in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 and half tablespoon of light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Mix everything well, ----

----- Done!!

37. Chinese spring onion and tofu salad

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It actually should be called super quick fix, it is a liang cai dish, no need to fry, stir fry... nothing. :)

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Paris has been so beautiful, but we have not been very lucky with the weather, only on our way back, the sun started shining out, and the weather got warmer, like the forecast predicted for yesterday. :( And we were caught in the peak time traffic, the underground was unbearable, crowed - people all had to stand next to each other closely, I could feel my body had been ‘squeezed’ -- I wished I had a shell protecting my flesh. ha… But probably deep, deep down, at the bottom of my heart, I enjoyed and loved this moment even at the same time I complained a little bit, it all reminded me when I was in China crowed with millions people. :)) Walking in the busy street or getting on the bus at the busiest time of the day, the shoulders rubbing shoulders, back 'knocking' back -- it cannot be more 'real' to feel the physical existence of self, I liked that feeling, especially after staying in the studio painting for a few days.

--- Now, I miss it.

The metro in Paris at that time went very slowly, sometimes it had to stop for a while, and the light went off. The conductor announced that everyone should be patient, just a few seconds. But those a few seconds, as if the time stayed still, I could not helping thinking how people passed by on the 'over' ground. The smell of the bodies' sweat mixed with some people’s perfume started spreading in the air. I almost smelt the ‘flesh’ and the body temperature. ---- I was dying to have some fresh water, (I could not even be able to move my hand and lift up my arm to reach and drink some water from the bottle, which i was carrying in the hand -- there was no space for this luxury movement), and really wanted to eat something fresh -- fresh from just the field, no hot oil, no meat… The freshness that I could smell, that I could see, that I could dive in...

But it is sad to leave Paris -- too beautiful to say goodbye, to leave all the fresh market in the street, and to sad to see the paintings of Monet’s garden eventually out of sight …… I did not know if I wish to take them all back with me, or more to leave myself with them....

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A Chinese salad with tofu and spring onion

I was not very satisfied with my tofu dish yesterday in the restaurant, too much thick sauce, although it was not fried, but it masked the freshness and the original taste of the tofu --- so I am dying for … this tofu salad dish -- to cool down the heat I gathered in the heavy traffic, the sadness for leaving Paris, and my desire for tofu. :))

This is a very typical tofu dish in Northern China , especially for the summer days. There is a saying for it, ‘spring onion mixes with tofu -- one ‘blue’ two white’.
Blue colour in traditional Chinese refers to green colour, It is particularly common when describing landscapes and traditional Chinese ink paintings. This saying is a metaphor for something that is very clear, without ambiguity. So you can imagine this dish is just a simple combination of the two things, there is no colour mixing, but you can taste it. :)

The recipe: Chinese tofu and spring onion liang cai

The only essential ingredients are tofu, spring onion and salt, all the rest are optional -- super easy ?!

Ingredients

Fresh tofu, (medium firm is the best)

Spring onion, (mainly the green part), salt, (essential)

Sesame oil, vegetable/mushroom/chicken essence (optional), light soy sauce, chilli oil (only if you like spicy)

Preparation

1) Chop tofu into small cubes, around 2cm square each side.

2) Chop 2 spring onions, only the green leaves part into small pieces.

3) Mix everything together in a salad plate, and add in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 big spoon of sesame oil, 1/2 vegetable/mushroom/chicken essence, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, if you like chilli, 2 teaspoon of chilli oil.

---- Mix everything together, then serve!!

Super quick fix, no? :)) --- for a hot summer day! Good to go with rice, or bing, or beer-- of your wish!

34. Chinese dried bean curd salad (liang cai)

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拌干豆腐丝

According to the forecast, the weather in Oxford could reach today 22 degrees!! I am so looking forward, cannot wait to be in the sun. I am Leo, without sun, I don’t function. :))
So today’s dish is a salad－ perfect for this weather. :))

Chinese dried beancurd

Dried bean curd sheet is one of my favorite soya bean made food , and is probably one of the dishes I miss the most since I came to England.

Same as tofu, it requires freshness, so it is not good for shipping, and because it is not a typical Cantonese food, there was no production in England, so it was impossible to get it here.

Around 3 years ago, in a Chinese supermarket in Manchester, (the buyer is from Northeast China), I suddenly saw a small pack of dried bean curd sheet in the chiller -- I almost screamed. It is packed in a air-tight plastic package, which I have never seen it like that before. So you can imagine, it is a bit dryer than the really fresh ones, but I am very grateful already.


Nowadays, in many Chinese supermarkets which sell the food from mainland China, you can find this packed beancurd sheet (in the chiller). If you ever see it, never miss the chance.

Dried bean curd can be made into salad , stir-fried or in soup, or just by itself. When I was in primary school, there was an old lady selling dried bean curd in a small piece. After you paid, she would take a piece of bean curd sheet, and wipe some salted sesame paste, put a small piece of spring onion and roll it up -- pass it to you.


This is what was called a ‘snack’ in China.

The small business was very popular, after school, the queue was formed up very quickly, many students were waiting for it, then having it on the way home. My dad never trusts the hygiene of this kind of street food, so he would make it for me at home ... but he makes the best. :)) I will blog this ‘wrap’ next time.

The recipe: Chinese bean curd salad (Liang cai)

Here is one of the ways to make into salad, also my dad’s recipe.

Ingredients

Dried bean curd sheet, coriander (optional)

Salt, sesame oil, light soy sauce, sesame paste, sugar.

Preparation

1) Try to open the beancurd sheet carefully, spread as a whole sheet.

2) Optional cleaning: use hot water soak and rinse it quickly.

3) Chop the sheet into around 0.5cm width strips.

4) In a small bowl, add in 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2/3 teaspoon of salt, around 2 (or more) tablespoon of sesame paste, 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix everything well, until the sesame paste dissolves into the liquid.

5) Chop a few leaves of coriander.

Mixing

Pour the seasonings onto chopped beancurd sheet, and add in coriander, mix everything well. If you like spicy, add a few drops of chilli oil . It can be as a main salad dish, or side dish. Good to go with different kinds of rice and beer.

26. Chinese pickled aubergine salad

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Chinese aubergine salad

腌蒜茄子／凉拌茄子

It is not much of a recipe for a ‘Holiday dining table’ :)), but, it is a really nice side dish if you are having Chinese dinner.

Pickled vegetables in Northern China

Pickled vegetables are very common side dishes in North China, especially in winter in old days when there was lack of fresh vegetables.

Pickles in Northeast, however,  are very different from the ones in UK. Northeast pickles are salty, rather than sour (apart from pickled Chinese leaves). The theory is that their sharp salty taste can help eating more stable food, and it is easy to store such salty pickles for a long time.

My parents have forced me to reduce the amount of salt I take, they think it is too unhealthy, so Chinese pickles have also become one of my ‘must reduce things’.

Nowadays, Chinese people are making pickles less and less, especially given that there is no longer a need to store vegetables in winter, as people can now find all kinds of vegetables on the markets even in the coldest, heavy snowing day of the winter.

So, pickled aubergines has become one of those dishes that make me a bit nostalgic.

Pickled aubergine has always been one of

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20. Soy Sauce Beef Salad (Liang cai)

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Chinese beef salad

酱牛肉

Hopefully it is going to be a good warm beautiful weekend, after all, summer is coming, no? If you are a beef lover, this recipe is really good for a warm summer day, whether you like to have it with rice, or a glass of cold beer. :))

Although I keep on claiming that I am not a big fan of meat, this is one of the few meat dishes I really love (another one is guo bao rou). I remember when I was still at home, whenever my dad made it, the whole house was filled by the most loveliest smell, and I knew I was looking forward to a nice plate of beef.

Our guests have all loved this dish. Thanks to my dad.:)) But it seems my dad stopped making it lately, so my mum took over. In order to get the original recipe (I didn't want to improvise this time), I called my mum for the details.

I say it is a weekend dish, but it is actually very easy to make. Although it does require some time (couple of hours),   you don’t have to stand by the cooker all the time --- that’s why I would always make this dish when we have friends over -- it leaves me lots of time to prepare the other stir fry dishes in the meanwhile.

Chinese beef salad: Jiang Niu Rou

This beef dish called “Jiang niu rou”. It is one of those dishes with a long history in Northeast Chinese cuisine.

‘Niu rou’ means ‘beef’, and ‘Jiang’ here means ‘soy sauce’, so as you might have guessed, it is cooked with soy sauce, lots of soy sauce.:)

It is kind of similar to the ‘Five spice beef dish’ in some Chinese restaurants in England. The difference is that the savoury taste in this Northeast dish does not come from the salt, but from soy sauce (almost same thing, but slight different taste.. ha...) And for this dish, dark soy sauce is the best, it not only gives the taste, but also the colour.


The beef is normally served cold, so this dish qualifies as a kind of Chinese salad. But if you like, you can have it warm as well. It is good to make a  few big pieces within one go, after all, it takes time and seasonings to cook once, the extras can be kept in the fridge or freezer, whenever you have crave for it, it is there.

My mum just told me a ‘continuing’ recipe after making the beef -- the soy sauce is super tasty now, it can be used in other stir fry dishes, or super good for making beef soup noodles. We will talk about it another day then.

Before going into the actual preparation, there are two things I did improvise :), but you have an option.

First, I put two pieces of bay leaves in; traditionally, bay leaves are never used in Northeast cuisine,
but I started using it in my dishes since I came here, I just love the fragrance released from it.

Second, I used Goji berry. Although Goji berry has been used in Chinese medicine over thousands of years, it has started being used in cooking only recently because of its beneficial properties. So I started leaving a few in the soups or drinks for more nutritious intake. :))

And as for the saucepan used here, any deep saucepan is good, it can also be cooked in a pressure cooker or even slow cooker. (Personally, I prefer slow cooker, let the taste slowly sip into the meat, but pressure cooker is very good for a quick fix). But I like to use ‘thermal cook pot’, which means after 10 minutes, you don’t have to worry if the sauce is over spilled or anything, you can just put your feet up. :) It comes with ‘two in one’ pot, works like this -- using the inner one to cook, after bringing the sauce boiling, the pot can be transferred into outer pot, and close it tightly, so the food can be keeping on cooking with the heat from the sauce and the pressure generated. -- save hassle and electrical energy.

The Recipe: Chinese soy sauce beef salad

Ok, here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Beef (the best part for this dish is ‘shank’, and the beef is not chopped when boiling it)

Beef shank

Dark soy sauce, anise star, cinnamon stick, bay leaves (optional), sichuan peppercorn, goji berry (optional), white sugar, cooking wine
For dressing: coriander, garlic, sesame oil

Cooking

1) Place the beef chunk into a deep sauce pan or a pot.

2) Put a small handful sichuan peppercorn, anise star and goji berry (optional), two bay leaves (optional), couple of tablespoons of cooking wine, and one tablespoon of white sugar into the sauce pan.

3) Fill in the sauce pan with dark soy sauce, let the soy sauce cover the beef (if you are also put one cup of water instead a cup of soy sauce.)

4) Turn on the fire, bring the sauce to boiling point, then turn down the fire to low, keep it slow cooking for around 2 hours or use ‘thermal cook pot’ for a few hours more or overnight.

5) Then the beef is done. Take the beef out, chop it into thin slice.

------ It is ready to eat already. Only if you like coriander and garlic, you can continue to the next step.

6) Mix coriander, minced garlic and sesame oil together with sliced beef.

7) Place on a plate.

---- Ready to serve!

Chinese green bean starch salad (liang cai)

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(凉拌拉皮）

Chinese green bean starch

A friend requested this recipe -- actually I am very surprised and glad that almost every friend who tried this dish really liked it. Friends have been asking about this for a long time, but I have been lazy, sorry… :))

Chinese green bean starch salad

It is an other ‘Liang Cai’ (salad) dish -- the most traditional and popular one in the Northeast of China, not only just for summer, but also for any time of the year, it gives a fresh taste on the dining table, either for a relaxed dinner at home, or when you are having guests over -- I can almost ensure you that your guests will like it.! :))

It is originally called ‘Liangbanlapi’ or 'Liangbanfenpi), means cold mixed green bean starch. But in most of the restaurants in Northeast, you would have to order ‘wucailapi’(五彩拉皮）, a very fancy name which means "five colours green bean starch" -- chefs usually work very hard on the presentation of this dish.:)) But you can see in the picture here, I am preparing a home made version, you know, just like quick sketch for art, I did not go into the details on the canvas. ha...

Green bean and potato starch

I say it is green bean starch, but actually, potato starch, sweet potato starch, corn flour starch all can be used in the dish. I prefer green bean (mung bean) starch though, while the others are good for the soup or stir fry ... I think. It is normally sold very fresh in China, they are like a block of jelly, ‘transparent’ white. Just I thought I would never be able to have it here, I saw similar ones being sold in a pack － a dry version --- not bad either.

In some restaurants here, which claim specialising on Beijing or Sichuang food, you usually can find it on the menu as a starter; but, of course, it looks different and it tastes different.

Different regions have different ways of preparing this dish, for example, in Sichuan this dish comes in a spicy seasoning sauce. In Northern China, the sauce uses sesame paste as main ingredient along with vinegar and sugar. (sweet and sour again :))

The recipe: green bean starch liang cai

I told a friend the ingredients roughly once, but he later told me that taste was not totally right…. so…:)) this is the first recipe in which I have carefully measured each ingredient and recorded the measure, but you can improvise to your own taste. :))

Ingredients

(I made a big bowl of this salad, but if you are only cooking for 2 or 3, cut all the given amounts to half.)

Green bean starch (There are two types of green bean starch sold in Chinese supermarkets  here, one is a package of round sheets, and the other is flat strips,  like flat noodles. I think the round one is better, its texture is more close to the ‘original dish’, and taste is better for this salad, but they both do. On the left top photo, it is made with round sheet, where the right photo and the following ones is made with flat strip ones.)

Cucumber, coriander (if you are not s big fan of the taste of coriander, you can leave it out, but it does give the dish a very fresh smell and taste), carrots (optional)

Sesame paste, vinegar, white sugar, salt, sesame oil, garlic (optional)

Preparation

1) Soaking two round sheets of grean bean starch (or half pack of the flat stripped greanbean starch) into hot water for 20 -30 minutes, until they are completely soft, which can be checked by touching it, or see the change of the colour (they will turn to more 'white' and 'transparent' ). Stir every 5 minutes to prevent them from sticking together. Then chop them into smaller pieces.

2) Mash the 3 gloves of garlic.

3) Cut one cucumber and carrots into slim strips.

Mixing

1) Put prepared greanbean starch sheet, cucumber, coriander and garlic in a salad bowl.

2) In a bowl, put 4 big tablespoon sesame paste, mix in with water to make it thinner. (I found it is a bit difficult to dissolve it just by water, so I pour in a few drops of oil, then water.)

3) Then put 3/4 table spoon of salt, 3 table spoon of rice vinegar, just a bit less than 2 table spoon of white sugar, 1 and half table spoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and mashed garlic into the sesame mix.

4) Pour the mixed seasoning into the salad bowl, and mix everything together.

Chinese green bean starch liang cai

----- Start eating, otherwise the greanbean starch could be soaked into the sauce too much, getting sticking, and will lose the original texture.

Good to have it with rice, either boiled or egg fried, and.. try with beer, if you drink. :))

8. Chinese vegetarian recipe: Black fungus and cucumber salad

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-- Liang cai: Mu'er (black fungus) 

& Huanggua (cucumber)

凉菜：木耳拌黄瓜

Chinese black fungus salad

I was born in late July, the hottest time in Northeast China, love the sun and the hot, I mean really hot weather. ( At least, I think this the reason why.:)))  When I was in China, every summer, everyone would tell me that I lost lots of weight…. How nice! :)) Well, one of the reasons for this was that I never stopped moving around, even in the hottest days.  Another reason is that I love eating  ‘Liang Cai’ (Chinese salad, or literally ‘cool dish’) in the summer --- little or no oil, low fat, mainly vegetables, healthy, how could I not lose weight? :)  The taste is … super fresh, perfect for the ‘summer stomach’.

For the past couple of weeks, the weather has been so so so .. good, amazing for April in the UK. So I have been making a lot of different ‘liang cai’ dishes these days: partly because of the good weather, but partly also because of a feeling of nostalgia towards summer in my hometown.

This is one of the dishes. I am not sure whether this particular one can be labeled as ‘traditional Northeast Chinese dish’, at least I don’t remember having it when I was living in China. Only a few years ago, we went back to my hometown to see my parents, my dad ordered this once in a restaurant. I totally fell in love with it.

It is originally prepared only with Chinese black fungus and cucumber. But, one day, I had some fried peanuts left,  and I was just looking for a way to finish them off. So, I put the peanuts into the dish, and --- it worked, and it combines so well with ‘old vinegar’. :)) So I started adding peanuts in. However, the peanuts are totally optional.

Chinese black fungus

Chinese Black Fungus

 There is a lot to say about this ‘Black fungus’ -- it is a kind of Chinese mushroom, the most famous one is from the mountains called ‘Da Xing An Ling’ crossing the whole three Northeast provinces. In UK,
you can find them in most Chinese supermarkets, and sometime also in the ‘foreign food’ sections of Sainsbury's and Tesco. However, the one that you can find in the ‘foreign food’ section of standard supermarkets often comes from Japan, it is sold in a little glass jar containing only a few pieces, and it is quite expensive. I honestly cannot tell the difference with the ones we have in Northeast China,  so it is probably better to buy them in a Chinese supermarket (and if they are produced in Northeast, even better). It is sold dry, and needs to be soaked before cooking it. The black fungus will double or triple its size after soaking. So, every time I go back home, I always carry lots of them back, they can last forever. There are also some compacted ones in little boxes --- not highly recommended, as after soaking in water, they will fall apart in small pieces.

‘Black fungus’ in Chinese are called ‘Mu Er’, which literally means ‘the ear of the wood’. It normally can be cooked in soup, stir-fried, or in salad. It is super nutritious -- has lots of properties for iron intake and blood pressure...etc. And in this dish, adding up the peanut (with niacin, fiber, vitamin E…) and old vinegar (helping digestion and blood circulation, anti-aging..etc), it cannot be healthier. :))

The recipe: Chinese black fungus salad

Ingredients

Mu’er (black fungus), cucumber, peanut
Oil, salt, old vinegar (if you don’t have it at home, you can use rice vinegar instead, however the taste can be a bit different), anise star, cinnamon stick, wasabi (optional), mushroom or vegetable essence (optional)

Preparation

1) Soak the ‘Mu er’ (black fungus) into hot water for 15- 20 minutes, until it is tender (every bit is stretched out), wash out thoroughly, and tear it into smaller parts. (It can also be boiled if you think it is difficult to soak to tender).

2) Chop the cucumber diagonally into thin slices.
 

3) Fry the peanuts in the hot oil, let it cool down afterwards.

Cooking (more like mixing all the ingredients together)

1) Heat around 4-5 table spoons of oil in the wok, then put a few anise stars and a couple of cinnamon sticks in the hot oil.

2) Remove the anise stars and cinnamon sticks from the oil. Allow the oil to cool down.

3) Mix tendered ‘Mu er’ (black fungus), sliced cucumber and fried peanuts together in a salad bowl, then add in ‘flavored oil’ (from step 1), 1 teaspoon of white sugar, 2-3 tablespoons of old vinegar, half teaspoon of salt, half teaspoon of mushroom or vegetable essence (optional) and squeeze in a bit wasabi (if you like).

Black fungus and cucumber salad

----- Mix everything together well, done! :))

How simple! If you like, you can also put in ‘minced’ garlic and chopped spring onion and a few drops of chili oil.

You know, if you are thinking of preparing dumplings, this Liang Cai dish is just perfect as a side dish!! :)