Chinese Celery and Peanut Salad Recipe
A light, crunchy salad with celery and peanuts that’s a popular snack and side dish in many Chinese homes. It’s as fresh as a classic slaw, but thanks to sesame, chili, and rice vinegar it has a completely different character. It pairs beautifully with rice dishes, and on hot days it can be a standalone snack.
Such salads made from blanched vegetables and hot, spice‑infused oil are typical of liangcai cold dishes, which in China are served at the beginning of the meal or for sharing at a larger table.
This salad combines the freshness and crunch of celery with the deep aroma of toasted peanuts, sesame, and chili. The quick blanching keeps the celery crisp, while the hot oil poured over garlic and chili releases intense flavor, giving the dish a distinctly Chinese character with minimal effort.
Why this version works
- Thin slices of celery let you blanch it briefly so it stays glossy and crunchy instead of fibrous.
- Toasting the peanuts separately intensifies their aroma and gives a clear, fresh nutty flavor.
- Pouring hot oil with garlic and chili over the sauce creates a simple infused oil that adds depth without lots of extra spices.
Chef's tips
Don’t skip rinsing the blanched celery in cold water – it stops the cooking and preserves the bright color and crunch. Adjust the amount of chili to your heat tolerance, and always add the garlic off the heat to avoid burning, which would make the salad bitter.
How to serve
Serve in small bowls as part of a larger spread with rice, dumplings, and stir-fries. It also works well as a crunchy side to grilled or roasted meats, or as a refreshing snack on a hot day.
Watch out for
- Don’t blanch the celery for longer than about 1 minute, or it will turn soft like for soup.
- Celery that’s too wet will dilute the dressing, so drain and pat it dry well before mixing.
- Garlic in hot oil burns in a few seconds – add it after taking the pan off the heat.
Substitutions
- You can replace the peanuts with unsalted cashews or slivered almonds, lightly toasted beforehand.
- Swap rice vinegar for apple cider or white wine vinegar, using slightly less and, if needed, balancing it with a pinch of sugar.
- If you don’t like heat, reduce the chili to a pinch or use sweet paprika just for color.
Ingredients
- celery stalks approx. 1 small bunch - 300 g
- unsalted peanuts can be roasted - 60 g
- garlic - 1 clove
- soy sauce - 1.5 tablespoons
- rice vinegar - 1.5 tablespoons
- sesame oil - 1 teaspoon
- vegetable oil e.g. rapeseed oil - 1 tablespoon
- chili flakes or hot chili powder amount to taste - 0.5 teaspoons
- salt a pinch, to taste
- sugar balances the vinegar - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- Wash the celery, trim the ends and fibrous edges (you can gently pull them off with a knife). Slice the stalks thinly on the diagonal so they’re extra crunchy.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the sliced celery and cook for about 1 minute, just until slightly softened but still crisp. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside to drain.
- If the peanuts are raw, toast them in a dry pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Peel the garlic and chop it very finely or press it through a garlic press.
- In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Put the drained celery and peanuts into a larger bowl.
- In a small pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. When it’s hot (but not smoking), remove the pan from the heat, add the garlic and chili flakes. Stir – the oil should sizzle gently and the garlic should turn lightly golden but not burn. If it starts to darken quickly, immediately pour everything into a bowl to stop the cooking.
- Pour the hot oil with garlic and chili into the bowl with the soy-vinegar mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Pour the prepared dressing over the celery and peanuts and gently toss so everything is evenly coated. Taste and, if needed, season with a pinch of salt.
- Let the salad sit for at least 10 minutes so the flavors meld. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This is one of those deceptively simple recipes that quickly becomes a staple. Once you try the combination of hot garlic-chili oil with crisp celery and peanuts, you may find yourself making it again and again, especially when you want something light but full of flavor.
