If you're searching for the salad of the summer — and the rest of the year — look no further than tiger salad. Also known as lao hu cai, tiger salad is a popular dish in North China, with different parts of the region having their own unique interpretations. The vibrant flavors of the salad intersect spicy, sour, umami, bitter, and sweet while balancing an array of vegetable textures. To learn how to prepare and enjoy tiger salad at home, reached out to an expert for advice.
Shirley Chung (who goes by @chfshirleychung on Instagram and her name and title on Facebook) is a Chinese-American chef and the owner of Ms Chi Cafe, located in Culver City, California. According to her, while there are variations by recipe, there's one key ingredient you shouldn't forget when preparing tiger salad at home. "Whole cilantro leaves and stems — especially the stems — that's the base flavor and texture for tiger salad," she says. Raw onions, scallions, and chili peppers, along with cilantro leaves and stems, are the staple ingredients she attributes to the robust flavors of tiger salad.
Before cooks with the "cilantro tastes like soap" gene feel like they're missing out (after all, even chefs like Ina Garten and Julia Child share their hatred for the herb), some people find that acidity, such as the rice vinegar in tiger salad's dressing, helps to downplay the soapy taste. The dressing contains a variety of strong ingredients, including sugar, sesame oil, and soy sauce, which lend the salad a vibrant taste by balancing the sour and bitter elements of cilantro with mildly sweet and umami flavors. Pungent onions and peppers in the recipe may also help to negate the soapy effect, as they pack a strong flavor in every bite.
The Best Ways To Enjoy Tiger Salad
Tiger salad is simple in principle because it doesn't require any cooking, but that means the ingredients must speak for themselves. Treat yourself to fresh, high-quality produce to unlock the full flavor depth of tiger salad. Scallions, peppers, cilantro, celery, and cucumber (depending on the recipe) provide the bitter, sour, and spicy notes, but their delicate textures and flavors can be compromised by improper vegetable storage in the fridge or overuse of seasonings and dressings after preparation. "Tiger salad is meant to be very fresh, crisp, [and] lightly dressed with vinegar, sesame oil, and salt," says Shirley Chung, adding that, "Sometimes, people over-dress and over-salt the salad until the vegetables and herbs are wilted."
She informs us that tiger salad is often served with meaty or starchy dishes as a palate cleanser, especially cumin-spiced grilled lamb. There's also potential to serve it with tender pepper steak, steamed chicken, and other warm, savory proteins. Cold sesame noodles and dan dan mian are full of sweet starchy flavors that would be a shame to miss as well. Tiger salad can encompass every flavor profile, making it suitable for almost any entrée with its refreshing and crunchy appeal.
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