It’s officially spring time and the weather is getting warmer, so now is a great time to have a salad!
But wait, you might be saying – salads are okay now?
I know, I spend a lot of time talking about how warm and cooked foods are better for digestion from a Chinese medicine perspective. And yes, if you are having digestive symptoms like bloating, indigestion, loose stools, or feeling tired after eating, then warm foods will be a better choice to support your digestion.
However, Chinese medicine also emphasizes eating with the seasons. When the weather gets warmer, it’s okay to start incorporating some raw and cold foods into your meals. One way to balance the cold aspects of a salad is to add some warm elements, such as:
-Warm grains like rice, quinoa, or farro
-Warm protein like grilled meats, tofu, lentils or beans
-Warm vegetables like steamed or roasted veggies
-Adding ginger to the dressing
So, this seemed like a good time to try out a salad recipe! This salad is inspired by the popular American salad Chinese chicken salad (more on the naming below).**
It features a mixture of greens and shredded cabbage, carrots, rotisserie chicken (saves time!), cashews, and cilantro and green onion. But my favorite part is the dressing – black sesame seeds, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger. It’s tangy, sweet, salty, nutty and delicious!
In Chinese medicine, black foods are associated with the Kidneys, supporting longevity and the reproductive systems and strengthening bones. Black sesame seeds strengthen the Liver and Kidneys, build Yin and nourish Blood, and are thought to darken grey hair. They also contain calcium, protein, phosphorus, iron and magnesium. Ginger is considered warm and acrid, and is used to alleviate stomach upset, nausea or motion sickness. It is also great to take when you’re coming down with a cold, and helps to warm the lungs and stop coughing. Green onion is also a warm and pungent herb that is commonly used with ginger to treat the common cold.
This dish is a great combo of:
Crunchy and colorful leafy greens
Savory rotisserie chicken
Sweet tangerines
Nutty cashews
Tangy and spicy black sesame ginger dressing
Great for lunch or dinner
**Thoughts on naming this dish and the origin of Chinese chicken salad – Chinese chicken salad is not an authentically Chinese dish. It is an American salad that is attributed to the chef Wolfgang Puck, who developed this salad at one of his restaurants in the 1980s. It is worth noting that this is an example of non Asian chefs using Asian ingredients and naming dishes after an Asian country to make them sound “exotic” or “new.” Using generic terms to name a dish is problematic because it doesn’t take into account the nuance of the individual and unique countries, cultures and people, and erases them down into a monolith of “other.” It is something to consider – what is the origin of the food? Who gets to create and name dishes? Who gets to take credit for these dishes? Are you noting when something is inspired by versus claiming that you created the dish? Language and how you name things matters.
However, even with all that being said, it’s okay to still like the dish. It’s tasty and one of my favorite salads to make, so this is my version.
Ingredients
Serves 2
2 cups mixed greens of choice – spinach, romaine, arugula, etc.
2 cups shredded cabbage
1-2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 tangerine or small orange, peeled into individual wedges
¼ cup shredded carrots
¼ cup cashews
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
½ teaspoon black sesame seeds
Dressing
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1-2 tablespoons black sesame paste (see below)
Quick black sesame paste
¼ cup black sesame seeds
2-3 tablespoons oil – sesame or olive oil (or other neutral oil)
Directions
To make the black sesame paste, heat the sesame seeds in a small pan over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, they can go from lightly toasted to burned very quickly! I will remove them from the heat when the seeds start to smell fragrant since they’ll continue to toast a little in the residual heat. Transfer the seeds to a blender and blend on high until they’re a fine powder. Add the oil and blend to combine until smooth (consistency should be kind of like peanut butter).
To make the dressing, combine the rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and black sesame paste into a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Alternatively, you can add the ingredients to a mason jar, secure with a lid, and shake the jar to combine.
Assemble the salad in a large bowl by adding greens, carrots, chicken (use warm chicken or reheat in the microwave), cashews, tangerine, cilantro and green onion. Pour the dressing over the salad, sprinkle on additional sesame seeds and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!
Substitutions / Alterations
If you don’t have rice wine vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar or lemon juice for a similar taste.
You can swap out or omit the chicken for your protein of choice.
References
Bensky, D., Clavey, S., Stoger, E., & Gamble, A. (2004). Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd Edition. Seattle, WA: Eastland Press, Inc.
Pitchford, Paul. (2002). Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition, 3rd Edition. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Wang, Y., Sheir, W., & Ono, M. (2010). Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen: Recipes from the East for Health, Healing, and Long Life. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.