Free Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop

blackened and the flesh is soft and pulpy within, remove them from the stove and allow to cool.
    Strip away the burned skin and tear the eggplant into strips, discarding the seeds as far as possible. Pile on a serving dish and pour or scatter over the other ingredients. Mix well before eating.

SPINACH IN GINGER SAUCE
JIANG ZHI BO CAI 薑汁菠菜
    This is a most refreshing appetizer, with juicy leaves in a delicate dressing of ginger, mellow vinegar and sesame oil. The combination of seasonings is known as “ginger-juice flavor,” and comes from the canon of classic Sichuanese flavor combinations. It can be used to dress many other vegetables, such as green beans, which should also be blanched and then refreshed under the cold tap before dressing. I’ve also had asparagus, a relatively recent import to China, served in this way.
    Do use fresh bunched spinach for its wonderfully juicy texture (baby spinach leaves tend to melt away when you blanch them).
11 oz (300g) fresh bunched spinach
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp very finely chopped ginger
2 tsp Chinkiang vinegar
1 tsp light soy sauce
1½ tbsp chicken stock or water
Salt
½ tsp sesame oil
    Bring a large panful of water to a boil (4–6 cups/1–1½ liters will do).
    Wash and trim the spinach. When the water has boiled, add the oil, then the spinach and blanch for about 30 seconds. Drain the spinach and refresh in cold water, then shake dry in a colander. Gently squeeze it to remove as much water as possible.
    Combine the ginger, vinegar, soy sauce and stock or water in a small bowl, with salt to taste. Add the sesame oil.
    Lay the spinach leaves out on a chopping board and cut them across into about four sections. Pile these sections neatly on a serving plate. Give the sauce a stir and pour it over the spinach.

TIGER SALAD
LAO HU CAI 老虎菜
    The tiger is a symbol of strength and valor in China and also, along with the wolf, of ferocity and danger. This dish, with its lacing of fresh green chilli, can be as fierce as a tiger, hence the name. It’s generally held to be a northern invention, though it’s now popular across China and there are many different versions.
    Green chillies and cilantro seem to be the essential ingredients: some cooks mix them with cucumber or tomato, while others use sliced onions (salted for a while to draw out some of their pungency). The final salad tends to have a refreshing, sour-hot taste. It’s particularly good for stimulating the appetite, as an accompaniment to alcohol, or to cut richer dishes. This version is inspired by one served at Yiwanju, a restaurant specializing in old Beijing dishes: the chef there, Xi Guyang, told me how to make it. There is no need to be particular about quantities: just assemble it as you would a simple salad and add as much or as little chilli as you please.
½ cucumber
Salt
Good handful of fresh cilantro
1–2 mild green chillies, to taste
¼ tsp sugar
2 tsp Chinkiang vinegar
½ tsp sesame oil
Ground white pepper
    Cut the cucumber in half lengthways, then cut each half into three sections. Cut each section lengthways into thin slices and put the slices into a bowl. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt, mix well and set aside for 30 minutes or so.
    Wash the cilantro, trim off the ends of the leafy stems and cut into lengths to match the cucumber slices. (If you are using cilantro that is sold as leaves only, rather than on the stem, simply chop it roughly.) Thinly slice the chilli(es), discarding stem and seeds.
    Combine the sugar, vinegar and sesame oil in a small bowl, with salt and pepper to taste (you may prefer not to add salt, because the cucumber will already be a little salty).
    When you are ready to serve, drain the cucumber and squeeze gently to get rid of excess water. Combine with the cilantro and chilli, pour over the dressing and mix well.

SPINACH WITH SESAME SAUCE
MA JIANG BO CAI 麻醬菠菜
    In southern China, it is still possible to find small backstreet workshops producing artisanal sesame