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A quick and easy Chinese okra salad recipe that features a bold and rich seasoning, crisp okra, and none of the sliminess. Make this cold appetizer to add color, texture and nutrition to your dinner! {Gluten-Free adaptable, Vegan}

Chinese Okra Salad, Two Ways (凉拌秋葵)

A quick and easy Chinese okra salad recipe that features a bold and rich seasoning, crisp okra, and none of the sliminess. Make this cold appetizer to add color, texture and nutrition to your dinner! {Gluten-Free adaptable, Vegan}
To make the dish gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce and use rice vinegar instead of Chinkiang vinegar. Make sure to pick a gluten-free oyster sauce.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: restaurant-style
Servings: 2 to 4 servings
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

  • 8 oz (225 g) okra

Dressing 1 - Cantonese style (Footnote 1)

Dressing 2 - Sichuan style

Instructions

  • Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and a pinch of salt, so the okra will have a vibrant color once blanched (Optional). Boil the okra until just turning tender, 1 minute for al dente or 2 minutes for a more tender texture. Drain, rinse with cold tap water or use an ice bath to stop cooking, drain again and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Cut off the tough end and the stem off the okra and discard them (Optional, Footnote 2). Then transfer the okra to a bowl or tall plate.

If using the Cantonese style seasoning

  • Add the rest of the “Dressing 1” ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Pour over the okra. Serve as a cold appetizer.

If using the Sichuan style seasoning

  • Directly pour the light soy sauce and green Sichuan pepper oil over the okra and serve.

Notes

  1. This recipe yields quite a bit of dressing. You can use up to 10 oz (300 g) okra without needing to increase the dressing amount.
  2. The top part of the okra is edible but sometimes it can be tough. I prefer to cut it off to improve the texture of the dish, but I’ve seen it served both ways in restaurants.
  3. The nutritional facts are calculated based on “dressing 1”.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 45kcal, Carbohydrates: 6.3g, Protein: 1.5g, Fat: 1.3g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Sodium: 257mg, Potassium: 200mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1.5g, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 1mg