Cold Tossed Enoki Cucumber Salad 凉拌金针菇

It’s getting hot here in Taipei. The suffocatingly humid, dripping-in-sweat-without-doing-anything kind of heat. After long afternoons of testing recipes for my cookbook by a gas flame stove, all I want to do is sip iced tea and bask in the air-conditioner blasted interior of a coffee shop.

I’ve been eating a lot of liang ban cai 凉拌菜 lately, “cold-tossed” dishes typically made with various raw ingredients, thinly shredded or julienned and tossed in a zingy sauce. Each bite is refreshing and flavorful, and the vegetables release their own juices into the dressing, enhanced with a bit of pungent raw garlic and a drizzle of sesame oil or chili oil. 

You can really liang ban “cold-toss” anything, but the general principle is to have a variety of colors and textures. In this version I use enoki mushrooms (the thin, noodle-like white mushrooms with little bulbs), carrots, cucumber, and cabbage; the slippery, chewy texture of the enoki mushrooms is a delightful contrast to the crunch of the vegetables. Tear the mushrooms into bite-sized bundles and blanch briefly in boiling water, then rinse under cold water and drain before tossing with the other ingredients.

You can use this recipe with bean sprouts, shredded red bell pepper, celery, napa cabbage, pressed tofu 豆干丝, or whatever you have in your fridge– it serves more as a template than a recipe, really. If you’re using carrot or celery or a “harder” vegetable I recommend briefly blanching it for 30 seconds– it “breaks the rawness” 断生, and makes it easier to chew for older folks or those who prefer slightly less crunchy vegetables.

This dish is even more delicious the next day, as the flavors mellow and marinate in the refrigerator, and you can enjoy it cold for a hassle-free summer lunch (I love eating this alongside a steamed sweet potato), or as part of a more elaborate meal as an appetizer or a side dish.  Enjoy!

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Another cold dish: Smacked Cucumber Salad

📖 Recipe

Cold Tossed Enoki Cucumber Salad 凉拌金针菇

A refreshing cold-tossed Chinese dish with slippery enoki mushrooms, crisp cucumbers and other shredded vegetables, dressed in a zingy, chili oil-laced sauce. Delicious as an appetizer or salad.

• Author: Hannah
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 3
• Total Time: 13 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Cold Dishes and Salads
• Cuisine: Chinese
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Vegetables:

• 1 bundle (7 ounces, 200 grams) enoki mushrooms, ends trimmed
• 1 medium Persian cucumber, julienned
• 1 small carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 scallion, cut into thin ribbons, or ¼ cup Chinese celery stalk, cut into 2-inch segments
• 1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped

Sauce:

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon mushroom bouillon (蘑菇精) or ¼ teaspoon MSG, optional
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon pale rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red chili oil with sediment
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted crushed peanuts or toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Trim off root end of enoki mushrooms, removing any bits of dirt. Rinse and tear into smaller, bite-sized bunches. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the mushrooms for 2 minutes, then refresh under cold water and shake dry.  You can briefly blanch carrot shreds if you want them to be softer, or leave them raw.
2. Combine enoki mushrooms, shredded cucumber, carrot, cabbage, cilantro, scallion and garlic in a mixing bowl. Add salt and sugar and bouillon powder and toss, then add soy sauce and vinegar and toss again. Taste and adjust until the flavors sing. Drizzle on red chili oil, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts and mix to combine, then plate and serve.

Notes

You can mix it up with different vegetables: blanched soybean or mung bean sprouts, microgreens, red or yellow bell pepper, napa cabbage, shredded tofu sheet, etc. Just make sure you have a good balance of textures and colors.