This Chinese Spinach Salad is a hearty and delicious way to enjoy lots of fresh spinach. Adding tofu skin and peanuts makes it extra tasty and nutrient-dense!
The Art of the Chinese “Cold Dish”
Every year, I like to come up with one or two new “cold dishes” that can be served chilled or room temperature during the hotter months. In Chinese, these dishes are called liáng bàn cài (凉拌菜). The best part is they require very little cooking and are tasty and refreshing!
(Last year’s liang ban recipe was my Spaghetti Squash Salad with Scallion Oil, one of my all time favorites!)
They’re a little bit like salads, but instead of starting with lettuce, they come in a variety of textures and ingredients from vegetables to chilled meats to mushrooms, peanuts, bean curd, and the list goes on.
A New Way to Enjoy Spinach
In Chinese cooking, spinach is usually stir-fried with garlic, oil, and salt, used as leafy greens in a soup or maybe tossed into a bowl of Dan Dan Noodles.
I have to admit, I am not a big fan of spinach, maybe because my mother forced me to eat it as a child. But lately I’ve been enjoying it blanched in this liang ban dish. With spinach in season right now, you should give it a try!
The Tips AI Won’t Tell You:
- Pay special attention to the dirt around the roots of the spinach. Rinsing and agitating the spinach a few times in a large basin of cold water will help dislodge the dirt.
- I often see people trim away the pink part of the spinach roots. Please don’t do that! A lot of health benefits are being thrown out. In case you’re wondering, the pink root is very crunchy with a hint of natural sweetness.
- Tofu skin rounds out the dish with protein and texture. I’ve also seen people use scrambled eggs in this salad instead of the tofu skin.
- My easy shortcut for this recipe is to use store-bought roasted peanuts. We love having a canister of Costco roast peanuts on hand to use in our recipes. If you want to roast your own peanuts, follow our recipe. But remember, after you cook them, let the peanuts cool before using, because only then will they turn crunchy!
Recipe Instructions
Thoroughly wash the spinach several times. Shake off the excess water, and cut it into 3 to 4-inch (8-10cm) pieces. Set aside.
Mix the sauce by combining the minced garlic, light soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and white pepper. Set aside.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. At the same time, prepare a large bowl of ice water and have it ready. Once the water is boiling, add 1 teaspoon neutral oil, and blanch half of the spinach for 30-60 seconds. Remove the spinach with a strainer or slotted spoon, and transfer it to the iced water. Repeat with the second half of the spinach, adding another teaspoon of oil to the water before you add it to the pot.
After all of the spinach is cooked and in the ice bath, add the bean curd skin to the same pot of boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Strain into a colander and let it cool completely.
Remove the spinach from the ice bath, squeezing it in handfuls to remove the excess water. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spinach, tofu skin, peanuts, and the prepared sauce. Toss until well combined. Serve at room temperature.
If you want to serve this salad chilled or are making it ahead of time, add the peanuts right before serving so they will still be crunchy!
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Recipe
Chinese Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spinach (washed and cut into 3 to 4-inch/8-10cm pieces)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
- 4 ounces tofu skin
- ¼-½ cup roasted peanuts (to taste)
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the spinach several times. Shake off the excess water, and cut it into 3 to 4-inch (8-10cm) pieces. Set aside.
- Mix the sauce by combining the minced garlic, light soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and white pepper. Set aside.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. At the same time, prepare a large bowl of ice water and have it ready. Once the water is boiling, add 1 teaspoon neutral oil, and blanch half of the spinach for 30-60 seconds. Remove the spinach with a strainer or slotted spoon, and transfer it to the iced water. Repeat with the second half of the spinach, adding another teaspoon of oil to the water before you add it to the pot.
- After all of the spinach is cooked and in the ice bath, add the bean curd skin to the same pot of boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Strain into a colander and let it cool completely.
- Remove the spinach from the ice bath, squeezing it in handfuls to remove the excess water. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spinach, tofu skin, peanuts, and the prepared sauce. Toss until well combined. Serve at room temperature.
- If you want to serve this salad chilled or are making it ahead of time, add the peanuts right before serving so they will still be crunchy!
