Chinese Cold Spinach Salad (凉拌菠菜 Liang Ban Bo Cai)

Honestly, this is one of those recipes I keep coming back to when I want something quick but still feels like I actually cooked. Chinese cold spinach salad—凉拌菠菜 (Liáng Bàn Bócài)—is a classic "liang ban" style dish where you blanch the veggies, toss them in a punchy sauce, and serve everything at room temperature or chilled.

What you end up with is tender spinach coated in this tangy, garlicky, slightly nutty dressing, topped with crunchy peanuts (or seeds if nuts aren't your thing). The whole thing takes maybe 15 minutes, it's naturally vegan, and it goes with pretty much everything—rice, noodles, grilled tofu, dumplings, you name it.

Best part? You probably already have everything you need in your pantry.

Why This Salad Works So Well

There's a reason this dish shows up at Chinese family dinners and restaurant tables alike. It's dead simple, but the technique—pouring hot oil over raw garlic and scallions—creates this incredible aroma that makes the whole thing taste way more complex than it is.

It's light without being boring. You're not drowning anything in dressing, but every bite has that balance of savory, tangy, and just a little sweet. And if you want heat, a spoonful of chili crisp takes it to another level.

Works great for weeknight dinners when you're short on time, and it's impressive enough to put out when you have people over.

What You'll Need

Serves 4 as a side dish

For the Spinach

• 400g (about 14 oz) fresh spinach — flat-leaf or baby spinach both work. Baby spinach cooks a bit faster, so keep an eye on it. Trim any tough stems before you start.
• 2 tsp fine sea salt — for the blanching water

For the Sauce

Optional Garnish

• Toasted sesame seeds

A Quick Note on a Few Ingredients

Rice vinegar is a light, mild vinegar with a subtly sweet and tangy flavor. It works perfectly in this salad to balance the soy sauce and aromatics. If you have Chinkiang vinegar on hand, you can still use it, but rice vinegar is a safe and widely available alternative that keeps the dish fully plant-based.

For vegan versions, look for mushroom-based oyster sauce at Asian grocery stores, or use hoisin in a pinch.

The sweetener isn't there to make things sweet—it just rounds out the vinegar and soy sauce so the dressing tastes balanced instead of harsh.

How to Make It

Step 1: Prep your ice bath

Fill a large bowl with cold water and a generous amount of ice. This is crucial—it stops the spinach from cooking the second it comes out of the boiling water, which keeps it bright green and perfectly tender.

Step 2: Blanch the spinach

Bring about 8 cups of water to a rolling boil and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Drop in all the spinach and cook for roughly 60 seconds. You're looking for wilted leaves and stems that are just crisp-tender—not mushy.

Use tongs or chopsticks to move the spinach around so it cooks evenly. Different leaves will sink at different times, so a little stirring helps.

Step 3: Cool and squeeze

Fish the spinach out with tongs or a strainer and plunge it straight into the ice bath. Let it sit for a minute or two until it's completely cool.

Now squeeze out the water. You want the spinach fairly dry so your sauce doesn't get diluted, but don't wring it to death—just gentle but firm pressure. Form it into loose bundles.

Step 4: Build your sauce base

Grab a heat-safe mixing bowl (this is important—you're about to pour hot oil into it). Add:

• The minced garlic
• Sliced scallion
• Crushed peanuts
• Chili crisp or oil, if using
• Soy sauce
• Vinegar
• Mushroom-based oyster sauce
• Sesame oil
• Sugar

Don't stir it all together yet. You want the garlic and scallions sitting on top so the hot oil hits them directly.

Step 5: The hot oil trick

Heat your neutral oil in a small pan over medium-high heat until it just starts to shimmer—about 30 seconds or so. Immediately pour it over the garlic and scallions in the bowl.

You should hear a gentle sizzle. That's the sound of all those aromatics blooming and releasing their fragrance. Smells amazing.

Now stir everything together until the sugar dissolves and you have a smooth, glossy sauce.

Step 6: Toss and serve

Add your blanched spinach to the bowl. Use tongs or chopsticks to gently separate the bundles and fold everything together until each leaf is coated. You want the peanuts distributed throughout but still chunky enough to give you that textural contrast.

Taste it. Need more salt? Add a pinch. Want it tangier? Splash in a bit more vinegar. More heat? You know what to do.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like, and serve.

Tips I've Learned Along the Way

Sixty seconds is usually enough. It's tempting to let the spinach go longer "just to be safe," but overcooked spinach turns army-green and sad. Set a timer if you need to.

The ice bath isn't optional. Skipping it means the residual heat keeps cooking the spinach even after you drain it. That's how you end up with mush.

Hot oil does the heavy lifting. This technique is common in Chinese cooking, and it's brilliant. You get all that deep, toasted garlic-and-scallion flavor without actually stir-frying anything. One tablespoon of oil, maximum impact.

Fold, don't mash. Treat the spinach gently when you're tossing it. You want everything coated but still light and fluffy, not compressed into a dense ball.

Ways to Mix It Up

For more heat: Double the chili crisp, or drizzle your favorite chili oil over the top just before serving.

For less heat (or feeding kids): Skip the chili entirely and add extra sesame seeds or crushed peanuts instead. Still delicious.

Nut-free version: Toasted sesame seeds are the classic swap, but pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds work great too. You keep that satisfying crunch without any peanuts.

To make it more substantial: This works beautifully as a light lunch or heartier side if you add some baked tofu cubes, steamed edamame, shredded carrots, or even chickpeas.

Serving and Storage

This salad is best at room temperature—that's when the flavors are brightest and the oil stays silky instead of congealing. Serve it alongside rice, noodles, stir-fries, dumplings, or grilled proteins.

If you want to prep ahead, here's what I'd suggest: make the sauce and store it in a jar in the fridge for up to three days. Blanch fresh spinach right before you're ready to eat and toss it with the sauce at the last minute. The spinach really is better freshly blanched.

If you do dress it ahead of time, try to eat it within a day. It's still fine after that, but the color fades and the texture gets a bit soft.

Nutrition Info (Roughly)

Per serving:

• Calories: ~120
• Protein: ~5g
• Carbs: ~9g (about 3g fiber)
• Fat: ~7g

Spinach also brings plenty of vitamins A and K, plus plant-based iron. Not bad for a 15-minute side dish.

(These are estimates—your numbers might vary depending on brands and exact amounts.)

Final Thoughts

This Chinese cold spinach salad has become one of those recipes I reach for constantly. It's fast, it's fresh, and it punches way above its weight in the flavor department.

Once you get the basic technique down—blanch, squeeze, hot oil over aromatics, toss—you can play around with it endlessly. More chili, different nuts, extra veggies, whatever sounds good.

Give it a try and see what you think. I have a feeling it might sneak into your regular rotation too.