Celery and Chinese Cabbage Salad

Here Chinese cabbage and celery are tossed in a savory/spicy mustard-based dressing to make for a very unusual but also very tasty salad.  This recipe, typical of northern China but almost unknown in North America, is adapted from one presented by Kenneth H.C. Lo in his excellent 1974 “Chinese Vegetarian Cooking” (ISBN 978-0394706399).  Note that you’ll probably want to make this dish a day ahead of serving as the mustard in the dressing is initially very powerful.  However, as it sits in contact with the air, the mustard oils dissipate.   It is excellent when used as a topping to cooked rice

1 lb Chinese cabbage, washed and cut into 2x2” pieces
¾ lb celery, washed and cut diagonally into ½” thick slices
1½ tablespoons mustard powder
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chili oil
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
½ tablespoon sesame oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the cabbage and celery for 3 minutes.  Drain, rinse under cold water, and allow to drain. 

Whisk mustard powder with water to form a smooth paste.  Whisk in remaining ingredients and toss with blanched cabbage and celery.  Cover and let marinade for at least 3 hours before serving.  The longer the salad marinades the less hot the sauce will be.  

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