Of course there are techniques for cold dishes! Otherwise, why would restaurant cold dishes be both delicious and beautiful, while the ones you make at home always taste bland and look unappealing?
Key Tips
There are two key factors that determine whether a cold dish is delicious.
Step 1: The amount of oil.
Step 2: Check for umami flavor.
I see.
Oil has a higher viscosity than water, so when it coats the ingredients, it helps lock in more flavor, naturally making the cold dish more robust and aromatic. Moreover, this isn't just any oil—it's scallion oil infused with scallions and aromatics, which significantly enhances the overall taste.
How can you achieve umami flavor? Restaurants often add seasonings like MSG or chicken bouillon powder. For health reasons, I rarely use these, at most adding a little sugar to enhance the freshness. If you want to learn more about other umami-enhancing methods, please refer to the relevant introduction in the next section (see page 14 of this book).
Key Tips
From the simple analysis above, you can see that to make cold dishes delicious, you can prepare some scallion oil in advance and use it as needed when mixing the dish. The method for making scallion oil is very simple.
Main Ingredients
Additional Ingredients
Step 1: Place all ingredients together into the oil.
Step 2: Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Remove from heat and let cool completely, then use for cold dishes.
Example Practical Operation
Spinach with Peanuts
