A copy-cat recipe of the classic Oriental Salad (小菜) dish served at world-renowned Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐). The dish consists of kombu, vermicelli noodles, bean curd, and bean sprouts tossed in a fragrant savory vinegar dressing.
Considering I order this dish every time I step in the restaurant, I pretty much remember the taste like I just had it yesterday. And I think this is very close. I would say about 85-90% there. Perhaps the remaining 10% is that familiar Din Tai Fung ambiance you don’t get from eating this at home.
If you do not finish the oriental salad in one sitting, you can keep it in the refrigerator a few days. Once you let the vermicelli salad sit in the fridge overnight, the starches in the noodles will harden (which makes them unpalatable). To return them back into their original texture, simply re-heat them in the microwave. I usually go for two 15 second heating intervals, stirring in between.
){kind=link}
Din Tai Fung Oriental Salad (鼎泰豐小菜)
Course: AppetizersCuisine: TaiwaneseDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes10
minutesA copy-cat recipe of the classic Oriental Salad (小菜) dish served at world-renowned Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐). Kombu, vermicelli noodles, bean curd, and bean sprouts tossed in a fragrant savory vinegar dressing.
Ingredients
1 large sheet dried kombu
40 grams dried vermicelli noodles
100 grams bean curd
100 grams fresh bean sprouts
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
4 tablespoons white rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili oil (homemade recipe HERE)
1 tablespoon sugar
Directions
- Prepare the Kombu. To prepare the Kombu, start by bringing around 1 Liter of water to boil in a pot. Place the Kombu pieces in (you may want to cut them up so they can be fully submerged) and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for around 30 minutes, or until Kombu is soft but not rubbery. Remove from pot and slice into thin long strips. Set aside. Note: reserve the cooking liquid, which becomes Kombu dashi broth.
- Prepare the Vermicelli Noodles. Do as the package instructions — usually this involves soaking in room temperature water (around 10 minutes) and boiling in water (around 2-3 minutes). Strain the noodles and set aside.
- Prepare the Bean Sprouts. In the same pot of boiling water, blanch the fresh bean sprouts for just 1-2 minutes. Be sure not to overcook them — they should still be crunchy. Strain and set aside.
- Prepare the Bean Curd. Sliced the bean curd into thin long strips. In the same pot of boiling water, blanch the bean curd for 1 minute. Carefully strain (they are fragile) and set aside. Note: blanch this last as it releases oil & makes your water oily.
- Assembly. In a large bowl, combine the kombu, vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts and bean curd. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, and sugar. Gently toss to combine. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.
Notes
- Storing & Re-heating. If you do not finish the oriental salad in one sitting, you can keep it in the refrigerator a few days. Once you let the vermicelli salad sit in the fridge overnight, the starches in the noodles will harden (which makes them unpalatable). To return them back into their original texture, simply re-heat them in the microwave. I usually go for two 15 second heating intervals, stirring in between.
I tried making it, and it turned out as a very intense version of the recipe! It tasted 65 percent like the real one so good job! but it still was not what I expected! my flavors were very strong (Maybe even too strong…)