Celery and Carrot Tossed with Sesame Recipe - Viet World Kitchen (2024)

By Andrea Nguyen

A couple of weeks ago while I was in Los Angeles, we went for lunch at the Beijing Pie House in Monterey Park (a Mecca for excellent Chinese food in America). My husband Rory and I started things off with silken tofu garnished with soy sauce and scallion and an order of celery with peanuts. On the face of things, these dishess may seem boring but in reality, they awaken your palate.

At a snack shop like Beijing Pie House, such side dishes prepare you for the onslaught of hearty dumplings, pan-fried meat pies, and noodle dishes. It was a hot afternoon and the savory smooth tofu and the delicately dressed crisp celery were perfect partners.

The tofu came out quickly but the kitchen took a while to make the celery salad. I wondered why didn’t they already have it done and ready to dish up? It was just blanched vegetables tossed in a few seasonings. The waiter explained that each order was made on the spot.

Aha! It’s a dead simple preparation, totally a la minute. So I gave it a whirl after we returned home and came up with my own rendition, spiked with nutty sesame oil and ground Sichuan peppercorn. Beijing Pie House used mostly celery and few pieces of carrot and some boiled peanuts, coating everything in a touch of sugar, salt, and vegetable oil. The peanuts didn’t add much so I upped the carrot. I also amped up the seasonings.

It took me all of 10 minutes to make the crisp, cooling, and colorful combination. Letting the vegetables soak for a couple minutes in just-boiled water is my way to effectively monitor and control the cooking. You don’t want limp celery and carrot. This is easy breezy cooking, perfect for summer.

Recipe

Celery and Carrot Tossed with Sesame

Instead of the sesame oil, use chile oil or go neutral with canola or vegetable oil. This is a recipe that can easily be doubled.

Yield: 2 servings as a nibble or side

  • 4 large ribs celery, cut on the diagonal into thin pieces, each a generous ⅛ inch thick and 3 inches long
  • 3 inches carrot, halved lengthwise and cut into thin piece, about half the thickness of the celery
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 pinches ground, toasted Sichuan peppercorns

Instructions

  1. Put the celery and carrot into a bowl. Bring half a kettle of water to a boil, turn off the heat. After the boiling subsides, pour enough water over the vegetables to cover. Set aside for 2 minutes, until you can bend a piece of celery so the ends nearly touch.
  2. Drain the vegetables, flush with cold water, and set aside to drain. Wipe the bowl dry, then stir together the salt, sugar and sesame oil in the bowl; don’t worry about dissolving the sugar and salt. Shake excess water from the vegetables before adding them to the bowl. Stir to coat. Set aside for a couple of minutes to develop the flavor. Taste and add extra salt or sugar.
  3. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle on the Sichuan peppercorn. Serve.

More hot-weather salads

  • Spicy Vietnamese Vegetarian Cabbage Salad (Goi Bap Cai)
  • Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky (Goi Du Du Kho Bo)
  • Vegan Green Papaya Salad (Goi Du Du Chay)
  • Thai Melon Salad
  • Asian Herb Rice Salad (Nasi Ulam)
  • Grilled Beef and Jicama Salad
  • Chilled Cucumber and Garlic (on Asian Dumpling Tips)

More Recipes: All

  • Vietnamese Bolognese (Bo Kho Meat Sauce)
  • Hawaiian Tofu Watercress Salad Recipe
  • Vietnamese Chile Sauce Recipe (Tuong Ot Vietnam)
  • Persimmon Spice Cookies
Celery and Carrot Tossed with Sesame Recipe - Viet World Kitchen (7)
Celery and Carrot Tossed with Sesame Recipe - Viet World Kitchen (8)
Celery and Carrot Tossed with Sesame Recipe - Viet World Kitchen (9)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Yun Ho

    Hi Andrea:
    This recipes sounds very refreshing!! I will e-mail you cold cucumber-wakame soup recipe that you can add to your hot weather salad(?)recipes.

  2. Andrea Nguyen

    I'd love the recipe, Yun Ho! That sounds lovely. I have lots of wakame seaweed.

  3. Biki

    I made this with some char siu in steamed buns, think asian sliders. We went nuts over this salad, and have made it twice in the last 5 days. Hubby adores it, he told me that this is something he wants to see on his plate more often. yummmmmmmm

  4. Stephanie

    This was really good in a rice bowl with Korean beef and spicy broccoli.

    • Andrea Nguyen

      Thanks!

  5. Stephanie

    I literally just referenced your dumpling book for a quarantine project later in the week but was looking online for a simple Chinese celery and carrot salad for tonight - how delighted I was to find your recipe! I'll be making it tonight to go with Fuchsia Dunlop's ma po tofu. Hope you stay well - I always enjoy reading your newsletters so please keep 'em coming.

    • Andrea Nguyen

      Well, I'm extra happy that you found this little recipe to go along with the dumplings from the book. It's like a double whammy for me to know that I can help folks who have my book and also use this site. HOOOOORAY!

Celery and Carrot Tossed with Sesame Recipe - Viet World Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What are the 3 ingredients in mirepoix? ›

The classic French version of mirepoix includes onions, carrots, and celery in the following ratio: two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery.

Why carrot onion celery? ›

Mirepoix is an aromatic blend of ingredients made to bring flavors to foods like stews, soups, stocks, and broth. This trinity food is made by slowly cooking carrot, onion, and celery to “sweat” out the flavor and create a delicious base for other recipes to be built upon.

What is mirepoix percentage? ›

Usually the vegetable mixture is onions, carrots, and celery (either common 'Pascal' celery or celeriac), with the traditional ratio being 2:1:1—two parts onion, one part carrot, and one part celery.

What is the basic formula in preparing mirepoix? ›

The French flavor base called mirepoix is a combination of onion, carrot and celery generally cut to the same size. It's used in a ratio that's 2 parts onion to 1 part celery and carrot.

What is a mirepoix in English? ›

or mire·pois

a flavoring made from diced vegetables, seasonings, herbs, and sometimes meat, often placed in a pan to cook with meat or fish. finely chopped vegetables, as onions and carrots, sometimes with meat, often used as a bed for meat that is to be braised.

What is a mix of onion celery and carrot called? ›

The French flavor base called mirepoix is a combination of onion, carrot and celery generally cut to the same size. It's used in a ratio that's 2 parts onion to 1 part celery and carrot. Saute in Butter. Mirepoix is the start of many French dishes, such as coq au vin and lamb stew.

What can I substitute for mirepoix base? ›

Can You Use Other Ingredients? Of course! For example, if you don't want the mirepoix to color your final dish, you could use parsnips instead of carrots, or even button mushrooms. You could also add a bouquet garni for some added flavor.

Is mirepoix the same as soffritto? ›

Mirepoix is a mixture of diced onions, carrots, and celery used as a base for many dishes in French cuisine. Sofrito, on the other hand, is a blend of aromatic ingredients like onions, peppers, garlic, and tomatoes used in Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines.

What is the Mexican version of mirepoix? ›

Sofrito is like the mirepoix of French cooking. Simple and easy, sofrito consists of sautéing diced garlic, vegetables and spices/herbs in olive oil on medium to high heat and used to season certain dishes.

What is the Italian version of mirepoix? ›

Italians refer to the mirepoix, a mixture of diced carrots, celery, and onions, as soffritto.

What is the difference between Trinity and mirepoix? ›

The holy trinity is the Cajun and Louisiana Creole variant of mirepoix; traditional mirepoix is two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery, whereas the holy trinity is typically one or two parts onions, one part green bell pepper, and one part celery.

What are 3 kinds of mirepoix? ›

Mirepoix Variations

While traditional mirepoix is the aforementioned trio of onion, carrot, and celery, other cuisines have their own combinations of aromatic vegetables (that is, those vegetables that offer a flavorful base for a recipe) that they use in similar ways.

Can you add garlic to mirepoix? ›

Many sources suggest to add the garlic a minute or so before adding the main ingredient (tomatoes, cream etc) because if you start with the garlic, by the time the mirepoix has properly been sauteed the garlic would have burnt. So I start by adding the mirepoix and add the garlic afterwards.

What is a substitute for carrots in mirepoix? ›

Sauce, Soup, Curries (Mirepoix, Soffritto/Battuto)

Consider finely chopped parsnips, celery or parsnip root, or bell peppers when looking for an aromatic alternative to carrots to serve as a flavorful sauce, soup, or stock base. All of them will provide some earthy and sweet flavors similar to carrots.

What is a mirepoix made of? ›

The culinary term refers to the combination of diced onion, carrots, and celery, gently cooked in fat. Mirepoix is a foundation for many classic dishes, including sauces, soups, braised meat dishes, and other recipes.

What is the difference between soffritto and mirepoix? ›

Mirepoix is a mixture of diced onions, carrots, and celery used as a base for many dishes in French cuisine. Sofrito, on the other hand, is a blend of aromatic ingredients like onions, peppers, garlic, and tomatoes used in Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines.

What is the Holy Trinity of mirepoix? ›

The holy trinity is the Cajun and Louisiana Creole variant of mirepoix; traditional mirepoix is two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery, whereas the holy trinity is typically one or two parts onions, one part green bell pepper, and one part celery.

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