Salad Archive

Colorful Vegetable Salad

In honor of the Chinese Lunar New Year 4706 - the Year of the Rat, celebrated by Chinese all over the planet beginning on February 7th for fifteen days, the taste of Shanghai will be reflected in the salad of the month and the soup  this month is Mandarin Chinese.

2 cups thinly shredded carrot
2 cups thinly shredded cucumber (peeled and seeds removed)
2 cups thinly shredded Chinese turnip (also called daikon in Japanese)
1 teaspoon salt

Dressing

½ cup rice vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons sesame oil
Hot Chili Sauce, to taste

Garnish

Chopped Chinese parsley (cilantro)

After shredding each vegetable, place each in a separate bowl and sprinkle with salt.  Let stand for at least 2 hours; rinse vegetables with cold water and drain well, squeezing out as much water as you can. 

To assemble salad, use a large round or oval platter and arrange Chinese turnip/cucumber/carrot in layers. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the shredded vegetables.  Drizzle on hot chili sauce if desired.

Yield: 4 generous servings