All-Purpose Sour and Spicy Salad Dressing (万能凉拌酸辣汁)

I’ve already posted quite a few salad recipes. Today’s recipe, what I call an All-Purpose Sour and Spicy Salad Dressing, is a full-bodied salad dressing that can be applied on a variety of mild-flavored vegetables.

This All-Purpose Salad Dressing has a pretty strong sour and spicy flavor, with a bit of savory, sweet, and nutty tastes in the background. It really lifts your appetite and gets your mouth salivate. With summer in full swing, it’s a great time to enjoy some salad as a meal by itself or along with other dishes. This all-purpose dressing works particularly well on summer vegetables like cucumbers, lotus roots, and summer squashes. I’ve enjoyed this dressing on those and other vegetables.

Since I’ve been harvesting so many cucumbers lately (see picture), I’m using cucumbers in this post. Feel free to try this salad dressing on your favorite vegetables. The sour and spicy taste of the dressing combined with the refreshing taste of raw vegetables will keep you wanting more.

Gluten Free,⁴ Vegan, Low Carb

Preparation Time:  10 minutes

Total Time:  10 minutes

Servings: 2 full portion salads or 4 small portion salads

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 green onion (green part only)
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper coarse powder ¹
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil ²
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce ³
• 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar ⁴
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt (or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)

Preparation:

1. Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Mince the green onion. In a small mixing bowl, add 1 tablespoon of roasted sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon of red chili pepper coarse powder, the minced garlic, and the green onions, mixing slightly.

2. Heat the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cast iron pan or wok under medium-high heat. When the oil gets hot but not smoking, immediately pour it over the small mixing bowl. You should hear a sizzling sound while pouring. Mix well.

3. Add the remaining condiments to the mixing bowl: 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of Chinese black vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of table salt, mixing well with the other ingredients.

4. Use this salad dressing on any mild flavored vegetable, such as cucumbers, lotus roots, stem lettuces, summer squashes, etc. Blend well with the vegetable and let it sit for 5 minutes before enjoying.

Bon Appétit

Notes:

1. You can change the amount of the chili pepper based on your own heat tolerance. I usually put at least 1 teaspoon of hot chili peppers to really get that spicy punch.

2. I used sesame oil here for a more nutty flavor. You can use any vegetable oil, preferably an oil with a high smoking point.

3. Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari and balsamic vinegar for a gluten-free version.

4. You can either use Chinese Shanxi Mature Vinegar (老陈醋) or Chinkiang Vinegar (镇江香醋) here. If you don’t have Chinese black vinegar, you can use balsamic vinegar instead. I used Chinese Shanxi Mature Vinegar (老陈醋) here for a deeper acidic flavor.

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