Yi's Sichuan Kitchen

Chinese Spinach Salad

Yi

Chinese spinach saladIf you ever want a new way to eat spinach, this Chinese spinach salad recipe is for you! This cold dish uses ginger, soy sauce and vinegar to create an extremely refreshing salad dressing. And the spinach is blanched in hot water then chilled in iced water, creating a crunchy texture! The presentation is extremely appetizing as well with green spinach in a bowl shape and ginger dressing on top! You are absolutely going to impress your guest with this spinach recipe! 

If you are looking for other Chinese salad recipes, try these articles:

Oyster Mushroom Salad

Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

Chinese spinach salad is a traditional dish from Sichuan and other areas of China. It can be served as an appetizer or a vegetable dish. I also like to add sesame seeds as a garnish to increase the crunchiness of this dish!

What kind of spinach should I use?

For this dish, I highly recommend using Chinese/Taiwanese spinach for the stronger stems and crunchy texture. Chinese spinach is typically larger in size than the baby spinach for salads. Chinese spinach can be easily purchased in any Asian grocery store!

How to blanch spinach for spinach salad?

Blanch spinach in boiling water for 1 minute and immediately remove from hot water. Note that if cooked too long, the spinach will lose its texture and become mushy.

Is an iced water bath necessary?

Yes. For this dish I recommend giving blanched spinach an iced water bath immediately after blanching. The iced water helps spinach keep the bright green color and crunchy texture which are so important for this salad. However if you don’t have iced water, feel free to run cold water on the spinach to cool it down immediately! 

Ingredients: 

Spinach: 1 lb

Ginger: 1 piece

Soy sauce: 1 tbsp

Vinegar: 2 tsp

Salt: ¼ tsp

Sesame oil: 1 tbsp

Roasted sesame for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Chop off the root part of spinach and cut spinach into 1 inch pieces. Wash thoroughly under water. 
  2. Finely chop ginger. In a bowl combine ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and sesame oil to make a salad dressing
  3. In a large bowl, prepare iced water. Bring a pot of water to boil. Blanch spinach for 1 minute and immediately remove and drop in the iced water. 
  4. Drain spinach and press into a small bowl. Turn the bowl over on a serving plate so the spinach lay in a bowl shape. 
  5. Use a spoon to put dressing on top of spinach. The ginger should stay on top of the spinach. 
  6. Sprinkle roasted sesame on top if available. 

Print

Chinese Spinach Salad

Simple summer spinach salad with ginger. Ready in 15 minutes.
Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword asian spinach salad, asian spinach side dish, chinese spinach, chinese spinach salad, cold spinach dish, spinach salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 people
Cost $3

Equipment

  • 1 pot

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Spinach
  • 1 piece Ginger
  • 1 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Sesame oil
  • 1 tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds

Instructions

  • Chop off the root part of spinach and cut spinach into 1 inch pieces. Wash thoroughly under water.
  • Finely chop ginger. In a bowl combine ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and sesame oil to make a salad dressing
  • In a large bowl, prepare iced water. Bring a pot of water to boil. Blanch spinach for 1 minute and immediately remove and drop in the iced water.
  • Drain spinach and press into a small bowl. Turn the bowl over on a serving plate so the spinach lay in a bowl shape.
  • Use a spoon to put dressing on top of spinach. The ginger should stay on top of the spinach.
  • Sprinkle roasted sesame on top if available.
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