P
Chinese · Guangdong Province
Chinese Jellyfish Cold Dish
Liang ban hai zhe: marinated jellyfish — dried and salted jellyfish reconstituted, blanched briefly in hot water, then chilled and dressed with sesame oil, light soy, Chinkiang vinegar, chili oil, and garlic. One of the defining cold appetisers of Cantonese banquet dining — the silky, crunchy texture is unique in the Chinese cold dish canon.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
400 g
dried salted jellyfish
soaked in cold water for 3 days, water changed daily
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
cucumber
julienned
Your own market
For the dressing
2 tbsp
sesame oil
Your own market
1 tbsp
light soy sauce
1 tbsp
Chinkiang vinegar
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
chili oil
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 cloves
garlic
finely minced
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Place the dried salted jellyfish in a large bowl and cover generously with cold water. Soak for 3 days, changing the water fully each day. At the end of the third day, the jellyfish should be soft, pliable, and only very mildly saline — taste a small piece to confirm the excess salt has been drawn out.
2
Drain the soaked jellyfish and slice or shred into thin strips. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Lower the jellyfish into the hot water for exactly 5 seconds, then lift it out immediately. This is where the dish lives or dies: any longer and the heat will destroy the characteristic crunch, rendering the jellyfish flabby and soft.
3
Transfer the blanched jellyfish at once into a large bowl of cold water. Leave until fully chilled. Drain thoroughly and pat dry with a clean cloth. The strips should feel firm and slightly resistant between the fingers.
4
Arrange the chilled jellyfish strips on a serving plate with the julienned cucumber. Combine the sesame oil, light soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, chili oil, and minced garlic in a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour the dressing over the jellyfish only at the point of serving — the jellyfish absorbs liquid quickly and will weep and dilute the seasoning if dressed ahead. The finished dish should glisten, smell sharply of sesame and vinegar, and carry a clean heat from the chili.
From the canon — Chinkiang vinegar (镇江醋, Zhenjiang hei cu, Zhenjiang black vinegar) is China's most celebrated vinegar — a dark, complex, aged rice vinegar produced in Zhenji… Chinkiang Vinegar (镇江醋 Zhenjiang Hei Cu) — The Black Vinegar of Jiangsu →
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Whole dried salted jellyfish from a specialist Cantonese supplier, soaked over the full 3 days; Chinkiang vinegar of aged designation; hand-pressed toasted sesame oil.
02
Estate — Good-quality dried jellyfish from a Chinese grocery; a reliable Chinkiang vinegar; cold-pressed sesame oil.
03
Market — Pre-shredded dried salted jellyfish, widely available in Chinese supermarkets; standard Chinkiang vinegar; commercial sesame oil.
04
House — Pre-shredded jellyfish soaked for the minimum required time; light rice vinegar in place of Chinkiang; any sesame oil available.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Taste. After 3 days of soaking, a small piece tasted raw should be mild — if sharply salty, change the water and soak further.
◇Touch. After blanching and chilling, the strips should be firm, slightly springy, and offer a clean resistance — not soft, not gelatinous.
◇Sight. Once dressed and plated, the strips should glisten evenly with the dressing and hold their shredded form without pooling liquid.
◇Where it lives or dies. The 5-second blanch is absolute: one second too long and the jellyfish collapses into flabby softness, and no dressing or technique can recover it.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Baijiu
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance