Spicy Chinese Potato Salad with Vinegar and Chili Recipe
This unusual Chinese salad made from thinly sliced potatoes is slightly crunchy, tangy, and spicy. In China, it’s often served as a cold side dish with lunch or dinner – a bit like our potato salad, but without mayonnaise and with lots of vinegar and chili. Perfect when you’re tired of classic boiled potatoes.
This salad shows a completely different face of potatoes: instead of being soft and creamy, they are crisp-tender, tangy, and full of chili heat. It’s a simple way to bring authentic Chinese flavors to your table with basic ingredients.
Chef's tips
Cut the potatoes as evenly and as thinly as you can – this is key to getting the right texture. Don’t overcook them: as soon as they lose their raw crunch but are still springy, drain them. If you use very strong vinegar, start with a smaller amount and adjust to taste.
How to serve
Serve in small bowls as part of a larger spread of Chinese-style dishes, alongside stir-fries, dumplings, or grilled skewers. It also works great as a refreshing side for rich, fatty dishes like pork belly or fried tofu.
Ingredients
- potatoes preferably firm, salad potatoes - 500 g
- rice vinegar - 3 tablespoons
- soy sauce - 1 tablespoon
- vegetable oil e.g. rapeseed oil - 2 tablespoons
- chili oil - 1 tablespoon
- garlic finely chopped - 2 cloves
- fresh ginger about 1 teaspoon finely grated - 5 g
- chives or spring onion chopped - 10 g
- salt for cooking the potatoes - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- Peel and rinse the potatoes. Slice them into very thin slices, then cut into thin matchsticks. The thinner they are, the better they will crunch.
- Place the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water and rinse to remove excess starch. You can change the water once or twice, until it is almost clear.
- Bring a large pot of water with 0.5 teaspoon of salt to a boil. When the water boils, add the drained potatoes.
- Cook the potatoes for 2–3 minutes from the moment the water comes back to a boil. They should soften slightly but remain springy and lightly crunchy, not overcooked.
- Drain the potatoes and immediately rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside in a colander to drain well.
- Peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel the ginger and grate it finely. Chop the chives or spring onion.
- In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- In a small pan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 20–30 seconds, until fragrant but not browned.
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the chili oil, and stir.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, pour in the vinegar–soy sauce mixture and the hot oil with garlic, ginger, and chili. Mix thoroughly.
- Add the chopped chives or spring onion, mix again, and set aside for 5–10 minutes to let the flavors meld. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I first tried this style of potato salad in a small family restaurant and was surprised by how light and addictive it was. Since then, it’s become my go-to recipe whenever I want something different from classic potato sides.
