Guest Blogger: Denise Cheng: "Chinese" Potato Salad

This week I had the pleasure of meeting DC and EO who invited me over to their lovely English Kills apartment for a beautiful vegan meal. I've been surprised at how few vegans I have met in the city and it was such a treat to meet these two! We enjoyed a spread of marvelously cold food: a Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Salad, Vietnamese Spring Rolls, and this Potato Salad. I stuffed a few Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with  Steve's Cinnamon Coffee Ice Cream for some messy ice cream sandwiches. When DC pulled out this salad I thought the potatoes were noodles! This recipe was so interesting and delicious I asked if she would be willing to post it here on the veganette, and she said yes! Now all I have to do is find a julienner and I'll be making variations of this recipe all summer long. Enjoy!

Photo by DC

"Chinese" Potato Salad (or my version of a common cold appetizer in Chinese cuisine)

Using a julienner, julienne two peeled potatoes and rinse the ribbons under cold water several times to remove as much starch as possible. You want your water to be as clear as possible.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, prepare an ice bath. When the water boils, add your potatoes and make sure all the ribbons are submerged. Cook for about one minute.

Pour out the hot water and quickly transfer the potatoes into the ice bath. Once everything is cool, drain.

Now you can get creative! Add julienned cucumbers or zucchini, carrots. For herbs, I usually use either fresh chopped chives or scallions. Sometimes I'll add fresh jalapeno, too. Pour in equal parts sesame oil and sichuan peppercorn oil (or just more sesame oil). Squeeze in lemon juice and salt to taste.

Serve chilled.