In this salad, the ingredients sparkle and refract colors
like a stained glass window. There's a rich combination of opaque,
transparent, and solid hues that give depth and texture to its beauty.
But that's not all.
The scent of the sea imbues each bite, and yet this is not
overwhelming... it's not low tide on a plate. Rather, there's that
characteristic balance that is the hallmark of any great Chinese dish.
Crunchy agar strips may taste bland, but they also lighten the flavors, and
they are as clear as glass. Thin cucumber ribbons too play a supporting
role here, but they offer a freshness and almost a melon undertone to each mouthful.
A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds provides a nutty punch, and this is probably
the last flavor to remain on your palate, while the sparkling red Chili Oil punctuates the first barrage
to hit your taste buds. You might be working with two of these ingredients for
the first time here, so let me introduce them to you.
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| Agar strips |
First up are the agar strips. Agar comes in many forms
- in blocks and as powder, as well as noodle-like strips - and is made out of a
type of seaweed that has been processed into its present state. So, agar
(or agar-agar or yangcai or kanten) is in fact
just another variety of sea vegetable that's showing up in today's mix.
Do be aware that once it's soaked, dried agar blooms into many times its
original size, so don't be too enthusiastic about reconstituting the entire
package.
In this recipe, you only need to cut off about a quarter of
the skein, and the rest can be packaged back up and saved for another day; it
will keep pretty much forever if stored in a dry and bug free place.
Agar needs minimum processing when it is used in cold
dishes. All you have to do is rinse it, soak it in cool water for a few
minutes, and then in hot tap water for about another five, and then rinse it
again in cold water. What this does is wake up the agar, softening it
without melting the strips, and then snapping it back into shape again.
As you do this, watch the agar turn from hard pieces that look like dried
cellophane (fensi) noodles into flexible whitish strands, then into a
clear soft tangle, and then into translucent lengths that are once more
firm. It's entertaining, or at least for me it is.
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| Agar as slithery strips |
Next up are the sea vegetables. You can use plain
seaweed if you wish, but look around for mixed sea vegetables, since they offer
lots more variety, whether in taste, color, or shape. You sometimes can find
them fresh, but they are more commonly sold packed in salt in little bags; a
health food store is a good place to find them. Keep these packages
sealed and in the refrigerator until it's time to use them. Then, just
rinse the sea vegetables under running cool tap water to wash off the salt,
soak them in some cool water to reinvigorate them, and then drain the
vegetables thoroughly before adding them to your salad; they shouldn't be
cooked or even blanched.
This recipe could easily be from any area along China's
coast, so it's hard to say where this salad originally hailed from, but it is
enough of a culinary chameleon to fit in just about any cuisine. The
sprinkling of red hot Chili Oil only serves to disturb the search for its
lineage, but I offer it to you anyway in the hopes that you love this jewel of
a salad as much as I do.
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| Salted fresh seaweed mixture |
Spicy sea vegetable salad
Hóngyóu hǎicài shālā 紅油海菜沙拉
Eastern China
Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer
About ¼ of a (1.5 ounce) package of agar strips
8 ounces (or so) mixed sea vegetables packed in salt
1 small Persian cucumber, julienned
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons light-colored, flavorful vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 clove garlic, minced very finely
Chili Oil to taste, or roasted sesame oil to taste
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| Cut up the dried agar |
1. Use a pair of scissors to lop off that piece
of agar strips and wrap up the rest for some other time. Place the strips
in a colander and rinse under cool running water to remove any dust or
debris. Place the strips in a work bowl and cover them with cool tap
water for a couple of minutes, drain, and then cover with hot tap water for
another 5 minutes to fully reconstitute them. Then, drain the strips and
rinse them with more cool tap water. Cut the strips into 1-inch lengths
and drain well.
2. Rinse the sea vegetables in a colander with
cool tap water and then place in a work bowl. Cover the sea vegetables
with cool tap water for a few minutes to wake them up, and then drain
thoroughly in a colander.
3. Place the agar, sea vegetables, and cucumber
in a clean work bowl with the salt, vinegar, sugar, and garlic. Mix
together, adjust the seasoning, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Just before serving, taste again and add more salt, sugar, or vinegar as
needed.
4. Pile the salad on a pretty plate, sprinkle
with Chili Oil or sesame oil, and dust the top with the sesame seeds.
Serve cold as an appetizer or side dish in hot weather.
