N cold appetizers in early spring to awaken your palate.

Spring is here, and a wave of fresh ingredients is making its grand debut~ It's the perfect season for cold salads.

Cold salads are delicious and refreshing, serving as great appetizers or side dishes for drinks, making them a favorite on any dining table.

So, how do you make a delicious cold salad? Let's learn together! Here comes an amazing skill you can master in just one minute!

Cold Spinach and Vermicelli Salad

Cold Spinach and Vermicelli Salad:

Both spinach and sesame seeds contain calcium that is beneficial for bones. The vitamin K in spinach also helps prevent calcium from being excreted in urine, playing an important role in strengthening bones.

Instructions: Boil the vermicelli in boiling water until soft. Remove and soak in cold water for a while to prevent sticking. Next, blanch the spinach. Remove the spinach and rinse it in cold water. Chop the spinach and vermicelli into small pieces. Finely chop the ginger. Place the spinach and vermicelli in a mixing bowl. Mix ginger with light soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and oyster sauce to make a sauce. Pour over the mixed spinach and vermicelli. Add chopped chili peppers and drizzle with sesame oil.

Cold Oysters:

Oysters are known as "milk of the sea." The natural taurine they contain can lower blood lipids, promote brain development, and calm the mind.

Instructions: Clean the oysters, blanch until cooked, then make a sauce with cilantro, garlic, red pepper, and vinegar, and pour it over the oysters.

Cold Lotus Root Slices

Appetizing Cold Lotus Root:

Lotus root is rich in starch, vitamin C, and iron, and has the effect of nourishing the blood and moistening the intestines. The mucoprotein in lotus root can promote the digestion of fat and protein, reducing the burden on the intestines.

Instructions: Wash the lotus root, slice it thinly, blanch it, then drizzle with seasoning and mix well.

Cold Wood Ear Mushroom

Cold Wood Ear Mushroom:

Wood ear mushrooms have the effects of nourishing blood, activating blood circulation, and relieving constipation. The gelatin in wood ear mushrooms can absorb and expel dust and impurities left in the human digestive system, thus playing a role in cleansing the stomach and intestines.

Instructions: Tear the wood ear mushrooms into small pieces and blanch until cooked. In a separate small bowl, pour in light soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil, mix to make a sauce, and pour over the wood ear mushrooms.

Precautions for Making Cold Salads

Be sure to select fresh vegetables and rinse them thoroughly with clean water. For dirt in grooves and crevices, be sure to dig it out. After washing the vegetables, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes, then you can cut them.

When mixing cold salads, use clean chopsticks. The knives, cutting boards, and containers used for cutting cold salads should also be scalded with boiling water for disinfection. The principle for washing and cutting ingredients should be hygiene and safety. Do not use a knife that has been used to cut raw meat to cut cold salads. Generally, cold salads can be seasoned with a little green onion, garlic, ginger, and vinegar, which not only adds flavor but also has a sterilizing and disinfecting effect.

When making cold salads with meat, the meat must be cooked thoroughly. The knife and cutting board used for cutting meat should be separate from those used for raw meat and raw vegetables.

Cold salads should be prepared in appropriate quantities. The prepared salad should be eaten at once, as leftover cold salads are prone to spoilage.

Not all vegetables are suitable for making cold salads. Vegetables high in starch, such as potatoes, taro, and Chinese yam, must be cooked, otherwise their starch granules will not break down and the human body cannot digest them.