All-Purpose Chinese Cold Dressing with Spinach and Glass Noodles
万能凉拌菜料汁（凉拌菠菜粉丝） · pan chinese cuisine
The author notes that even in winter, a cold salad is always welcome at home. Once you master this dressing, you can use it on virtually any cold dish. Tips from the source: cut the cooked noodles into shorter pieces with scissors so they are easier to eat; rinse the cooked noodles in cold water to prevent sticking; the Weijixian (fresh-style) soy sauce is optional if you don't have it; and, to clarify regional naming, xiangyou refers to sesame oil (made from ground sesame), while mayou in this recipe refers to Sichuan peppercorn oil, which has a tingling, numbing flavor.
Ingrid HalvorsenNorwegian exchange student missing home cooking. I post about brunost, lefse, and stretching a grocery budget in a tiny dorm kitchen. Simple food, big comfort.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:SesameSoyWheat
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- 81.2(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- 3.3(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Carbs (g)
- 12.3(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Sodium (mg)
- Unknown
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
spinach菠菜
3.53 oz — washed and cut into two sections
1.76 oz
cilantro香菜
1.0 stalk
0.3 oz
1.59 oz
salt盐
0.32 oz
0.46 oz
garlic (minced, for finishing)蒜末
2.0 clove
Techniques you'll use
- Blanching (chao shui) ↗
Par-cook in boiling water to clean, tighten, or prep ingredients.
- Aromatic blooming (bao xiang) ↗
Bloom ginger, garlic, and chili in hot oil to build the aroma base.
- Cold dressing (liang ban) ↗
Toss cooked or raw ingredients with a bold chilled dressing.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Gather all the ingredients. Wash the spinach and cut it into two sections.
✅ Done when: The spinach is washed and cut into two shorter sections, with all ingredients laid out and ready.
Boil the glass noodles until soft, then remove them, snip them a few times with scissors, and set aside. Blanch the spinach with a few drops of cooking oil in the water to keep the color bright. (After boiling, rinse the noodles in cold water to prevent sticking.)
✅ Done when: The noodles are soft and snipped short, and the spinach is blanched with a vivid green color.
- 3
Step 3
The key step: make the dressing. Combine 1 spoon of soy sauce, 1/2 spoon of light soy sauce, 1 spoon of oyster sauce, 3 spoons of vinegar, 1 spoon of Sichuan peppercorn oil, 1/2 spoon of salt, and 1/2 spoon of sugar, and stir until evenly mixed. Set aside. This dressing is what makes the dish delicious.
✅ Done when: The salt and sugar are fully dissolved and the dressing is smooth and uniform.
Heat oil in a pan, stir-fry the chili and minced garlic until fragrant, then pour in the dressing and bring it just to a boil over low heat.
✅ Done when: The garlic and chili smell fragrant, and the dressing has just come to a gentle bubble over low heat.
Put the spinach, glass noodles, and cilantro into a bowl, pour in the dressing, add a few drops of sesame oil, toss with chopsticks, and plate.
✅ Done when: Everything is evenly coated with the dressing and arranged on a serving plate.
- 6
Step 6
Serve and enjoy!
✅ Done when: The salad is plated and ready to eat.