Chinese Salad Recipe with Green Tea Noodles

Tiger Salad with Green Tea Noodles

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A mouthwatering dressing, a pile of fresh herbs, and a heap of chewy noodles make a complete — and completely satisfying — 20-minute meal.

By Hetty McKinnon

Updated on August 3, 2023

Tested by

Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Tiger Salad with Green Tea Noodles — Photo:
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Total Time:

20 mins

Servings:

2 servings

On a sweltering afternoon, the mere thought of turning on an oven is enough to make me break into a sweat. Thankfully, Hetty McKinnon’s fifth cookbook, Tenderheart, presented me with a recipe that’s just what I look for in a summer standby. McKinnon’s Tiger Salad with Green Tea Noodles is equal parts bracing and refreshing. The name of this Chinese salad comes from its striking flavor combinations, akin to the ferocity of the tiger, she explains. While there are many variations of this dish, some with cucumber or tomato, McKinnon’s recipe draws its inspiration from a Northwestern Chinese style that primarily uses scallions, a heap of cilantro, celery, and hot chiles.

To make a meal out of it, McKinnon adds green tea noodles (soba noodles infused with green tea) into the mix. The cold buckwheat noodles are tossed in an umami-forward dressing with celery, cilantro, scallions, and a Thai chili for a kick of heat, transforming the salad into a complete — and completely satisfying — slurpable meal.

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Ingredients

Tiger Dressing

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste, if needed

Noodles

7 ounces uncooked fresh green tea noodles or 5 ounces dry green tea noodles from 1 (7-ounce) pack
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced diagonally (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (about 1 small bunch)
4 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
1 fresh red or green Thai chile, thinly sliced diagonally

Directions

Make the Tiger Dressing

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Chill until ready to serve.

Make the noodles

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high. Add noodles, and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain under cold water, and rinse twice.
Combine noodles, celery, cilantro, scallions, and chile in a large bowl. Pour Tiger Dressing over the top, and toss to combine. Season with additional salt to taste, if needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Notes

You can substitute regular soba for green tea noodles if desired. You can find both types of noodles at your local Asian grocery. Rinse soba in cold water before adding sauce for the best texture.

To make ahead

Salad can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.

Suggested pairing

An earthy demi-sec Vouvray: Domaine Huet Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec.