Chinese Celery Salad
Crunchy celery with silky tofu skin (liángbàn qíncài dòufu pí)
Jameson Hsu•Apr 15, 2024
Chinese celery and tofu skin salad, also known as liángbàn qíncài dòufu pí in Mandarin (涼拌芹菜豆腐皮). There are so many ways you can liángbàn, which basically means cold mixed (salad). The main difference from a western salad is that the vegetables are usually cooked, making it easier for digestion.
I grew up with a few variations of a Chinese celery salad, using whichever celery type we had on hand. Sometimes even throwing in more or less ingredients like carrots!
Here’s how to make this one.
Instructions
In a pot of boiling water, blanch the celery (1 bunch) for about 30 seconds, or until it turns a bright green (30-45 seconds). Immediately remove and set aside. Let it cool. Once cooled, squeeze out excess liquid, making sure to be gentle so it doesn’t become too mushy. Squeeze out excess liquid from the rehydrated tofu skin (1 handful), too! This can be much more aggressive than the celery, since it is meant to be soft.
Add in torn up tofu skin (1 handful), all seasonings and mix with your hand.