Tiger Vegetable Salad Recipe (2024)

The first time I had this salad was at Xi'an famous foods in Chinatown. I topped my Mount Qi Pork Hand-Ripped Noodles with it and my life was forever changed. Can't have my noodles without it now. It's salty, acidic, spicy. Me and my best friend call it "Sofrito salad". So simple, yet so full of flavor.

Shaved radish might be an interesting addition in place of the chili pepper. If there are still to peppery, you can soak them in water to mellow out the radish flavor.

The first and only time I've eaten this was in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Not exactly China...but on the Silk Road!

Does this recipe really serve 4-6? And can you suggest a good substitute for the chili pepper for people who shy away from "hot" food?

I used celery instead of bell pepper or cucumber, as this is how the dish is made at Xi'an Famous Foods (which is where I first discovered and fell in love with the dish!)

Try with arugula or baby kale

There is a variation version of this salad with smoked tofu stripes julienned paper thin added to coriander with the same dressing. The versions I had in Shanghai didn’t have any chili in it. Essential is light soy, Chinese vinegar, and sesame oil. I hosted a dinner last week and made this salad with 50:50 normal salad mix and coriander to make it a bit more “normal” for people not used to the taste of coriander. It was slightly milder but was still very fragrant and conveyed the same spirit.

How in the heck do you substitute something for spiciness in a dish for someone who doesn't like spicy??? Of course you could add some other flavor, but if you have a tender mouth, just leave it out...

You can simply leave out the chili pepper if you don't want the heat, though in that case you might want to consider using both the green pepper and the cucumber (perhaps half of each?) to keep the flavor interesting. I found the slivered chili pepper to be a noticeable but mild addition to the recipe, though that just may have been the particular batch of chilis I had on hand.

You can leave it out. The green bell pepper will provide the crunch and flavor of the pepper and the quantity is negligible.

I’ve made my own version of this for years, with shaved watermelon radishes, which have the added virtue of looking gorgeous, as well as so-called Persian cukes & scallions. As a cilantro-lover, I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to add it—or make it the star—a lapse I’ll happily correct!PS: Yes, it’s the dark or “toasted” sesame oil that should’ve been specified; it’s the one that adds what many of us think of as “Asian” flavor to a dish. (BTW, it’s now also available in a “hot” variety.)

For the people asking about how to make it not spicy, in my opinion the spiciness (and cilantro) are the dominant qualities of this salad, it's a bit like having a Greek salad without the feta... you'd be better served making a different recipe!

As a cilantro lover, this recipe is so wonderful. It's simple, affordable, nutritious, and delicious.

For the people asking about how to make it not spicy, in my opinion the spiciness (and cilantro) are the dominant qualities of this salad, it's a bit like having a Greek salad without the feta... you'd be better served making a different recipe!

Seems strange that it calls for either a cucumber or a green bell pepper.

Add radishes, cucumbers, and scallions.Can also add smoked tofu stripsI used celery instead of bell pepper or cucumber, as this is how the dish is made at Xi'an Famous Foods

I’ve made my own version of this for years, with shaved watermelon radishes, which have the added virtue of looking gorgeous, as well as so-called Persian cukes & scallions. As a cilantro-lover, I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to add it—or make it the star—a lapse I’ll happily correct!PS: Yes, it’s the dark or “toasted” sesame oil that should’ve been specified; it’s the one that adds what many of us think of as “Asian” flavor to a dish. (BTW, it’s now also available in a “hot” variety.)

Are you all using toasted sesame oil, or plain? It makes a huge difference. The recipe appears to call for plain, but experience suggests that it would be toasted.

There is a variation version of this salad with smoked tofu stripes julienned paper thin added to coriander with the same dressing. The versions I had in Shanghai didn’t have any chili in it. Essential is light soy, Chinese vinegar, and sesame oil. I hosted a dinner last week and made this salad with 50:50 normal salad mix and coriander to make it a bit more “normal” for people not used to the taste of coriander. It was slightly milder but was still very fragrant and conveyed the same spirit.

Try with arugula or baby kale

i plan to make this as written soon but in the meantime made a version to use what i had in the fridge/pantry. instead of veg oil and white vinegar i used hot sesame oil and rice vinegar. i only had a good handful of cilantro left from the bunch in the fridge so it was more a cucumber salad vs an herb salad (along w the scallions and chiles of course) but it was still excellent. we had it over some chicken thighs w rice. here's the pic on instagram:https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi0qOyJg9ln/

I used celery instead of bell pepper or cucumber, as this is how the dish is made at Xi'an Famous Foods (which is where I first discovered and fell in love with the dish!)

As a cilantro lover, this recipe is so wonderful. It's simple, affordable, nutritious, and delicious.

Try with Torrontés!

The first time I had this salad was at Xi'an famous foods in Chinatown. I topped my Mount Qi Pork Hand-Ripped Noodles with it and my life was forever changed. Can't have my noodles without it now. It's salty, acidic, spicy. Me and my best friend call it "Sofrito salad". So simple, yet so full of flavor.

Does this recipe really serve 4-6? And can you suggest a good substitute for the chili pepper for people who shy away from "hot" food?

The first and only time I've eaten this was in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Not exactly China...but on the Silk Road!