Chill Out This Summer With the Best Chinese Cold Dishes Around

Original Nicole Sun theBeijinger 2020-08-18

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With the steamy Beijing summer firmly upon us, our thoughts are turning to fresher, lighter dishes, and cold salads. Chinese cuisine boasts a wide array of refreshing dishes, known as liángcài (凉菜), which are usually served at the start of a meal to stimulate the appetite. These are just a few of our favorites as well as where you can find the best renditions in the center of town.

Shredded tofu skin salad (凉拌豆腐皮 liángbàn dòufupí) / Tofu string (豆腐丝 dòufu sī)
If you find the name “tofu skin” off-putting, try thinking of these flavorful strands of pressed tofu as “tofu noodles” instead. There are hundreds of variations of this dish, but it’s in northern China that you will most likely find the tofu skin mixed with finely shredded cabbage and carrots, and finished with savory soy sauce.

Where to get it:

Baoyuan Dumplings. 6 Maizidian Street, Chaoyang District (朝阳区麦子店街6号)

Sichuan chicken in chili oil (口水鸡 kǒu shuǐ jī)
The name of this dish literally translates as “saliva chicken” and its spicy flavors with certainly get your mouth watering. Originating from Sichuan, this dish features tender poached chicken dressed with chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns. Some versions also include toasted sesame paste. As the people of Sichuan are well aware, eating spicy food actually helps to cool down your body in the long term because it makes you sweat more.

Where to get it:

Yinchu. 1/F, 4-1, Topwin Center, Sanlitun South Road, Chaoyang District (南三里屯路通盈中心4层4-1号)
Wangjing No.1 (multiple locations). 15 Workers’ Stadium South Road, Chaoyang District (工人体育场南路15号)

Cold tossed winged beans (凉拌四棱豆 liángbàn sìléngdòu)
Liángbàn (凉拌, literally “cold tossed”) is a catch-all term for any number of cold vegetable dishes dressed with a light sauce, most often made with a combination of vinegar, salt, and a touch of sugar. These salad-like items are perfect for summer. Here, winged beans – a legume popular in Southeast Asia – have been given the liangban treatment.

Where to get it:

Wangshunge Fish Head Restaurant. 1/F, G1-G3, 8 Courtyard Bldg 14, Chaoyang Park South Road, Chaoyang District (朝阳公园南路8号棕榈泉生活广场1层)

Century eggs with ginger (姜汁皮蛋 jiāng zhī pídàn)
Despite the name (and their slightly alarming appearance), century eggs are not actually 100 years old. After being preserved for a few weeks in an alkaline mixture, the eggs develop a salty flavor and take on their signature dark brown hue. Slices of pickled or young ginger are often served alongside preserved eggs to counter their richness.

Where to get it:

Orient King of Dumplings (multiple locations). B1, 21 Yongli Plaza, Workers’ Stadium North Road, Chaoyang District (工人体育场北路永利国际B1)
Riverside & Courtyard Roast Whole Fish. 1-111, Bldg 151, 13 Juxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District (酒仙桥路13号151号楼1-111号)

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Cold celery and lily bulb (西芹百合 xīqín bǎihé)
In the West, we may think of lilies as a decorative flower but in China, the bulbs are also grown for food consumption. Lily bulbs are considered to be a yin ingredient with a cooling effect on the body, making them an essential summer ingredient. They are often combined with celery, another cooling, fresh vegetable.

Where to get it:

Dongshi’er Beijing Food. 1-3/F, Bldg 11, Dongzhimen Outer Byway Chaci Unit, Dongcheng District (东直门外斜街察慈小区11号楼1-3层)
Yuxin Sichuan Dish (multiple locations). Bldg 5, Xingfu 1 Village Xili, Workers’ Stadium North Road, Chaoyang District (工体北路幸福一村西里甲5号)

Smacked cucumbers (拍黄瓜 pāi huángguā)
Of all the cold dishes in the Chinese culinary canon, pai huanggua, or smacked cucumbers, is perhaps the most essential, particularly on northern Chinese tables. The secret of this dish lies in “smacking” the cucumber (not a euphemism), which allows the flavors of the sauce – usually heavy on garlic and vinegar – to mix fully with the vegetable.

Where to get it:

Sanyangcai (multiple locations). 8 Workers’ Stadium North Road, Chaoyang District (工人体育场北路工人体育场北门内西侧)
Yuxin Sichuan Dish (multiple locations). Bldg 5, Xingfu 1 Village Xili, Workers’ Stadium North Road, Chaoyang District (工体北路幸福一村西里甲5号)

Cold skin noodles (凉皮 liángpí)
Liangpi, which translates to “cold skin noodles,” is a springy and elastic noodle-like dish that originates from Sha'anxi province made from either wheat or rice flour. Part spicy, part sweet, and part sour, the cold noodles combined with garlic and hot chili oil or sesame paste, salt, vinegar, and julienned cucumbers make for a hearty but cooling standalone meal.

Where to get it:

Liangpi Xiansheng (multiple locations). 2219, 2/F, Bldg 2, Sanlitun Soho, Chaoyang District (三里屯soho2号楼2层2219)
Wei Jia Liangpi (multiple locations). 1/F, Bldg 24, Xingfu'ercun, Chunxiu Road (春秀路幸福二村24号楼底商)

Sugar ice jelly (冰粉 bīng fěn)
This iconic Chengdu summer snack is a type of jello that's often topped with molasses as well as a variety of dried fruits, diced watermelon, mung beans, peanuts, and sticky rice balls. It is the epitome of 'shuǎng 爽,' meaning cool, refreshing, and revitalizing, and you'll see why after just one bowl.

Where to get it:

Miss Fu in Chengdu (multiple locations). 1/F, Bldg 6, China Red View, East of Gongti East Road, Chaoyang District (朝阳区工体东路东侧中国红街6号楼美林大厦背面1层)
Superfly. 1/F, 11 Sanlitun Road, The Opposite House, Chaoyang District (朝阳区三里屯路三里屯太古里北区瑜舍酒店一层)

Grass jelly (烧仙草 shāo xiān cǎo)
Likewise, the sweet and herbal dessert of grass jelly, made popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, is the ideal snack during sticky summer days. The refreshing and silky grass jelly has a slightly bitter taste, which is often balanced with soft and chewy pieces of taro and sweet potato balls, as well as black sesame, green bean, red bean, tofu pudding, and a drizzling of cream.

Where to get it: