Liang Cai: Chinese Cold Dish with All-Purpose Sauce

Originally published in our latest Art, Culture and Subculture issue, Yifei Liu teaches us how to make a traditional Chinese cold dish with an all purpose sauce.

Words by Yifei Liu

We have an old Chinese saying, "Teaching a man to fish is better than giving him fish". Our food culture also reflects this philosophy. We create a dish template that works within many different contexts.

I always went to the traditional market with my mom after school when I was little; I barely remember going to the supermarket to buy ingredients like I always do now. One booth always caught my eye and stopped me for a long time: the cold dish store.

I’d watch as, behind the glass, the shopkeeper would mix different ingredients I had chosen and give the dish its spirit with the magic sauce. I just loved the sour and spicy taste of it. In my experience living here, salad is a side dish. However, the cold dish we have (you can also call it a Chinese salad) is more like a starter to evoke your appetite for the main course.

I've always wanted to know the secret to making that magic sauce at home. Here is the recipe for the sauce and an example of the cold dish you could have with it, but you can also add other ingredients according to your preferences and what's in your fridge.

All the ingredients for the sauce you can buy in the various world food shops in and around Govanhill but you might have to venture into the city centre to get things like black fungus for the cold dish.

Sauce ingredients

• ½ bulb of garlic, minced

• 2-3 finger chilis, chopped

• 1 tablespoon of chilli powder

• 2 stalks of spring onion, chopped

• 1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds 

• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil

• 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons of vinegar

• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce

• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil (optional; skip this for vegan)

Method

1. Put the first five ingredients into a clean bowl.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and pour it into the bowl to release the aroma of the seasonings. Make sure the oil is so hot that it smokes and you can hear a sizzling sound when pouring it into the bowl.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl, mix everything thoroughly, and the sauce is ready!

Food ingredients

• 1 cucumber

• 1 handful of dry black fungi

• ½  pack of dried bean curd sticks

• 1 pack of coriander

Method

1. Soak the black fungus and dried bean curd sticks separately in cold water until completely soft. Rinse both of them and cut the softened dried bean curd sticks into pieces. The black fungus will expand after absorbing water, so you can use less if desired.

2. Boil the black fungus and dried bean curd sticks in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, then scoop out, drain the water, and place them in a bowl. The longer you boil, the softer the texture, so you can adjust the boiling time based on your preference.

3. Wash the cucumber and coriander. Cut the cucumber into pieces and place them with the coriander into the bowl containing the black fungus and dried bean curd sticks.

4. Pour the cold dish sauce into the bowl and thoroughly mix it.

5. It's recommended to refrigerate the finished dish overnight. This allows the ingredients to better absorb the sauce and enhances the flavour.

Now enjoy your meal! Though it is called a cold dish, that’s just how we usually eat it; you can enjoy it hot or cold.

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