Tiger Salad

老虎菜

Tiger Salad — Cold Dishes & SoupsHeilongjiang home cooking.

Ingredients

• English cucumber, julienned (peeled, seeds removed)
• scallions, very finely chopped (white and green parts)
• garlic, minced to paste
• rice vinegar
• fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Place julienned cucumber in a colander, sprinkle with 1 g salt, and toss. Let drain 5 minutes, then squeeze gently to remove excess water. (Cucumber ribbons look bright green and slightly translucent.)
2. In a bowl, combine scallions and garlic. Use the side of your knife to crush garlic into the scallions until aromatic and slightly pasty. (Mixture turns pale green with flecks of white garlic pulp.)
3. Add drained cucumber, rice vinegar, and remaining salt. Toss vigorously with hands or tongs for 45 seconds until evenly coated and slightly glossy. (Cucumber glistens; no dry patches remain.)
4. Taste and adjust: add a pinch more salt if flat, or ½ tsp vinegar if too harsh. Do not add sugar — authenticity requires clean acidity. (No undissolved salt crystals visible on surface.)
5. Transfer to a shallow dish. Serve immediately — this salad loses its tiger-like ferocity if left sitting longer than 10 minutes. (Scallions stand upright; cucumber retains firm snap.)