Straight chillin': A guide to Beijing's best cold dishes

The ultimate guide to Chinese cuisine's best cold dishes

You don't need to wait for your face to melt off to get stuck into cold food. Every regional Chinese cuisine has its own versions of cold side dishes and raw salads, simply referred to as liangcai (凉菜). The simplicity of liangcai makes them a great complement to the more complex flavours and textures of other dishes in a meal. Their adaptability and ubiquity also make ordering liangcai blissfully easy, no matter what your price range.

Many of these dishes are so common they go by a few different nicknames. We have used the most rudimentary iteration, so you can use these names and everyone will know what you’re looking for, even if they call it something else. 

Radish skin salad

Luobopi （萝卜皮）

The most common variation of this radish dish, literally ‘radish skin’, utilises fat chips of Beijing watermelon radish, aged vinegar, sesame oil and dried chillies. The radish chunks are not fully pickled or fermented so they retain all of their earthy bitterness, not to mention vitamins. A light, cheap and healthy supplement to any meal.

Where to try? For a salty-sweet take, head to Baoyuan Jiaoziwu; fans of intense spice will appreciate the luobopi at Zhangmama.

Cold poached chicken in chilli oil 

Mala koushuiji (麻辣口水鸡)

A popular dish that has been seriously dressed up in some of Beijing's swankiest joints, the most basic form of this cold dish combines a sliced breast of poached chicken, submerged in chilli oil with tingly Sichuan peppercorns and roasted peanuts scattered throughout. Fatty, rich and with a lip-smacking, well-rounded heat, the combo of cool tender flesh and warming spice is hard to match.

Where to try? For a casual encounter, your local Sichuan restaurant (chuancai, 川菜) is sure to serve up this favourite.

Woven cucumber

Souyi huanggua (蓑衣黄瓜)

You won't find many street stalls hawking this type of cucumber salad mainly due to its time-consuming preparation. A cucumber is finely sliced so that it fans out into a delicate spiral. Topped with a warm sauce of garlic,vinegar, sugar, dried chillies and peanuts (the picture version has a less common tomato base), the narrow folds quickly soak up flavour and make for a fresh, crunchy surprise.

Where to try? A more common version of this cucumber dish – the home-style paihuanggua (拍黄瓜), smashed cucumber with vinegar – is available at most Beijing home-style (jiachangcai, 家常菜) joints.

Xinjiang cold salad 

Xinjiang liangcai (新疆凉菜)

In sharp contrast to most other specialties from China's western-most region, Xinjiang liangcai is crisp, clean and lightly seasoned. Fresh slices of red onion, celery, carrot and tomato are sparsely dressed with light vinegar, salt, dried chillies and, compared to other Xinjiang staples, only a hint of cumin and toasted fennel seed. The acidity helps cut greasy pieces of roast lamb, a welcome relief when it comes to dining on treats from the western steppe.

Where to try? Our favourites are found at the many lamb leg (烤羊腿) restaurants on Beixinqiao Santiao.

Cold spinach salad

Liangban bocai (凉拌菠菜)

Perhaps the most common cold dish in the capital – second only to fresh peanuts on a plate – wilted spinach comes in myriad forms and with many different accents. Universally dressed with aged vinegar, sesame oil and a dash of seasoned soy sauce, some trumped-up versions are stocked with peanuts, boiled walnuts, dried chillies, and even crumbled tofu. Some known aliases: spinach with nuts (guoren bocai, 果仁菠菜); spinach with peanuts (huasheng bocai, 花生菠菜).

Where to try? No Beijing home-style restaurant is without its own recipe for cold spinach salad.

Century egg with vinegar

Pidan (皮蛋)

The hardest part about getting people to love century egg is the first bite, thanks to its creamy green yolk and blackish-brown translucent white. Aged vinegar and sweetened soy sauce give the smooth slices of egg a tangy finish. You'll find pidan crushed with chillies or tofu atop, but we recommend the cold plate of wedges to really appreciate the unique flavour and texture.

Where to try? You'll find pidan making its way into all sorts of dishes in local restaurants across town. 

Cold starch noodles

Liangpi (凉皮)

Liangpi noodles are more similar to gelatin than conventional noodles. The product of dissolved-then-evaporated wheat or rice starch, the soft, chewy texture soaks up chilli oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. Look for street carts sporting trays piled high with milky white 'noodles.' Beijingers like liangpi mild, with cucumber and salty sesame paste, though Sichuan pepper oil and chilli pastes also match well.

Where to try? Head to your local Shaanxi noodle (陕西面) shop for a slurp of these deliciously chewy noodles. If they are serving roujiamo (肉夹馍), odds are they have liangpi as well.

Cold spinach noodles 

Bocai liangmian (菠菜凉面)

Similar to the liangpi, these spinach-flavoured wheat noodles are common street fare as they’re served cold and make it to the cart pre-cooked. Spinach may give the noodles a fun green hue, but the real flavour comes from the chilli oil, vinegar and cucumber that hide in the bottom of the bowl or rest atop the mound of green. Like any layered noodle dish, be sure to mix these guys well to guarantee an even coating of the bright red dressing.

Where to try? Another popular noodle from Shaanxi province. Look for signs saying Shaanxi mian (陕西面) or carts peddling cold noodles (liang mian, 凉面).

King bitter salad 

Liangban chuanxinlian (凉拌穿心莲)

Ignore the English name, this salad of succulent leafy greens is far from being even the prince of bitter. The blanched leaves are tossed in a neutral oil, often sunflower but occasionally corn or soya, then dressed with light vinegar, salt and chopped dried chillies. The sprouts have a pleasing crunch and grassy flavour that is both invigorating and palate-cleansing, rich in vitamins and natural fibre. The dried form of this herb is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It’s hard to believe we are actually recommending something so healthy.

Where to try? You can find it at In and Out Yunnan – which serves up one of the freshest versions we've had.

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