Cold Spinach Salad (Family Recipe)
凉拌菠菜(家传秘方) · pan chinese cuisine
The author learned this dish from their mother while living alone in Hangzhou. They emphasize that every seasoning is essential — leaving out even one changes the flavor.
Priyanka RamanSoftware engineer by day, South Indian cook by night. My pressure cooker is my personality now. Trying to nail my amma's rasam without shortcuts.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:Sesame
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- 35.7(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Protein (g)
- 3.2(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Fat (g)
- 0.6(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Carbs (g)
- 5.8(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Sodium (mg)
- 57.5(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
spinach菠菜
17.64 oz
to taste
as needed
Wei Ji Xian premium light soy sauce味极鲜
to taste
20.0 piece
Dried chiles干辣椒
4.0 piece
2.0 slice
Techniques you'll use
- Blanching (chao shui) ↗
Par-cook in boiling water to clean, tighten, or prep ingredients.
- Cold dressing (liang ban) ↗
Toss cooked or raw ingredients with a bold chilled dressing.
- Aromatic blooming (bao xiang) ↗
Bloom ginger, garlic, and chili in hot oil to build the aroma base.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Wash the spinach. Mince the ginger and garlic into very fine pieces; if you have a mortar, pounding them into a paste is even better.
✅ Done when: The spinach is clean and the ginger and garlic are finely minced or pounded to a paste.
Bring water to a boil and cook the spinach until it is soft. The author prefers a softer texture, so cooks it a bit longer.
✅ Done when: The spinach leaves are fully wilted and soft to the touch.
Once cooked, cool the spinach in cold water, then drain and gently squeeze out excess water (squeeze lightly — do not press out every last drop). Mound the ginger and garlic on top of the spinach.
✅ Done when: The spinach is cool, drained but still slightly moist, with the ginger and garlic piled on top.
Heat oil in a pan; when hot, add the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies and fry until fragrant. Pour the hot oil over the spinach and aromatics — if you hear a loud sizzle, you have done it right.
✅ Done when: The oil is fragrant from the peppercorns and chilies, and it sizzles loudly when poured over the spinach.
- 5
Step 5
Season to taste with vinegar and Wei Ji Xian soy-style seasoning (the author uses Weidamei brand), then drizzle a few drops of sesame oil on top.
✅ Done when: The salad is seasoned to your liking and finished with a light drizzle of sesame oil.