My Favorite No-Cook Side

In cooler months, they’re sweetest, and in warmer months, they’re cooling—we enjoy radish and carrot year-round in this spicy daikon carrot salad, more traditionally known as a 凉拌 (liángbàn) or “cold-dressed” dish. Slivers of these bright root vegetables spring from their whole form into shredded strips like nonchalant supper party confetti.

It’s any host’s low-maintenance sidekick: two-step prep, no stove or oven space required, unfussy if you leave it unattended for several hours before serving. A dressing cocktail elevated by Mala Mama’s authentic Sichuan Chili Oil (ft. caiziyou!) brings the heat with a quickness.

Even better, leftovers go straight from the fridge to your plate the next day. Although rarely does this ever hit the table and go unfinished.

You can hand-shred these if you’re diligent and your knife skills are top-notch, but most home cooks outsource this task to their mandoline. Any proper Chinese mandoline slices down to 1/16 inch (1.5 millimeters), which you’ll need for the right sliver quality. Any thicker and you’ll just be chopsticking spicy vegetable matchstick crudités.

Then, the shredded veggies get thrown together and salted to draw out internal moisture. This ensures crunch once served, and keeps the salad from growing soggy once dressed. It only needs 10-15 minutes to sit, which invariably flies by while we’re busy assembling the rest of dinner. Finally, it’s tossed with the rest of the chili oil dressing just before serving.

Variations of this spicy daikon carrot salad abound as well. Dried beancurd, cucumber and seaweed, sliced to equally thin slivers, feature prominently with or without the radish. However, the common denominator for this liangban style is a long, thin shape and crisp texture.

For more vegetarian-friendly liangban dishes to diversify your serving table:

• Michelle Zhao’s Crunchy Lotus Root Salad shows you how to prepare another beloved root vegetable uncommon in Western cuisine
• If you love eggplant, Taylor’s Hot-and-Sour Eggplant original and Roasted Chili Eggplant from Chengdu’s Ying Garden are two spicy cold-dressed dishes you won’t forget
• If you’re feeling adventurous, Taylor’s Liangfen of Happy Tears (Shangxin Liangfen) from NYC’s Málà Project is also known as “‘heartbreak jelly‘ because it is so spicy that people are said to burst into tears when eating it”!