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Chilled Crown Daisy Salad — finished dish, ready to serve.

Chilled Tendril Lettuce Salad (Ku Ju) with Garlic-Sesame Dressing

凉拌苦菊——简单爽口 · pan chinese cuisine

20 min total5 min cooking4 stepsrefreshingtangy

Tendril lettuce (ku ju, a feathery curly endive) has a pleasantly bitter edge that pairs well with a sweet-and-sour dressing. As the weather warms up, this simple tossed salad is a favorite appetizer on Chinese home tables. Use the freshest, most tender greens, soak them briefly in salted water, drain thoroughly, and dress just before serving.

Roy Delgado's profile photoRoy DelgadoWeekend backyard smoker guy from San Antonio. Brisket is my love language. Still chasing that perfect bark and happy to share my failures too.

Nutrition & allergens

Contains:SesameSoyWheat

Per serving (4 servings)

Energy (kcal)
63(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Protein (g)
Unknown
Fat (g)
1.5(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Carbs (g)
11.5(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.

  • frisée lettuce ingredient

    frisée lettuce苦菊菜

    10.58 oz — Root removed, cut into short sections, washed

  • Chinkiang vinegar ingredient identification photo

    vinegar醋

    1.41 oz

  • Light soy sauce ingredient identification photo

    light soy sauce生抽

    1.41 oz

  • Fine salt ingredient identification photo

    salt盐

    0.11 oz

  • Granulated sugar ingredient identification photo

    sugar糖

    1.06 oz

  • Sesame oil ingredient identification photo

    sesame oil香油

    0.18 oz

Techniques you'll use

Steps

  1. 1

    Step 15 min

    Chilled Crown Daisy Salad — step 1 visual checkpoint.

    Choose fresh, tender tendril lettuce. Remove the root, cut into short sections, and wash well. Sprinkle a little salt into a bowl of clean water and soak the lettuce for 5 minutes.

    ✅ Done when: The lettuce has soaked in the lightly salted water for a full 5 minutes.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    Cold dressing (liang ban) ↗
    Chilled Crown Daisy Salad — step 2 visual checkpoint.

    While the lettuce soaks, make the dressing: mince the garlic, then combine 3 g salt, 30 g sugar, 40 g aromatic vinegar, 40 g light soy sauce, and 5 g sesame oil, stirring until well mixed. Let the dressing rest briefly.

    ✅ Done when: The dressing is fully combined with the sugar and salt dissolved, and has rested a few minutes.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Chilled Crown Daisy Salad — step 3 visual checkpoint.

    Drain the soaked tendril lettuce thoroughly, removing as much of the raw soaking water as possible.

    ✅ Done when: No water pools at the bottom of the bowl and the leaves no longer drip when lifted.

  4. 4

    Step 4

    Cold dressing (liang ban) ↗
    Chilled Crown Daisy Salad — step 4 visual checkpoint.

    Pour the dressing over the lettuce, toss well, and serve immediately — dress it just before eating, while it is fresh.

    ✅ Done when: The leaves are evenly coated with dressing and the salad is served at once.