Chinese Veggie Salad with Soy Dressing

• 1 sheet bean curd sheets slice into 1/4-inch strips
• 4 cups mung bean sprouts
• 1 each carrots peeled and slice into matchsticks
• 1 bunch mushrooms, enoki (straw) optional, ends removed
• 4 each cloud ear black fungus
• 1 each lotus root about 1 cup, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 each english cucumber slice into match sticks
• 1/2 cup cilantro freshly chopped
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar or to taste, or any rice vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil or to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, extra-virgin
• 1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup, honey, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste, optional
• 1 clove garlic freshly minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger peeled and freshly grated
• 3 each scallions, spring or green onions thinly sliced

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil to blanch the vegetables and tofu sheet.
2. Blanch the tofu sheet first, add the tofu sheet strips into the boiling water, blanch for 2 minutes.
3. With a long handle sieve or any similar tool you have on hand, remove the blanched tofu sheet strips into a colander, rinse under cold running water.
4. Drain well and place into a large mixing bowl.
5. Add bean sprouts into boiling water, blanch for 30 seconds, remove and rinse under cold running water.
6. Drain well and place into the large mixing bowl with the tofu sheet strips.
7. Add carrots and enoki mushrooms if using into the boiling water, blanch for 3 minutes, remove and rinse under cold running water.
8. Drain well and place into the large mixing bowl with the tofu sheet strips and bean sprouts.
9. Add the lotus root and black fungus, blanch for 5 minutes until the lotus root becomes tender but still crisp, the black fungus are expanded and soft.
10. Remove and rinse under cold running water.
11. Drain well and place into the large mixing bowl with all the other blanched veggies and tofu sheet strips.
12. Add the cucumber and cilantro into the bowl as well.
13. In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients until well blended.
14. Pour over the salad, and toss gently with your hands, chopsticks or wooden spatula until well coated and mixed.
15. Season to taste with more soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes.
16. Serve or put in an air-tight container and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
17. Note: Blanching these veggies and tofu sheet will kill all the bacterias that can cause food poisoning, and also get rid of some of the bitterness from the raw veggies.
18. In Chinese cuisine, blanching has been used a lot in daily cooking.

mung bean sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, cloud ear black, lotus root, match, cilantro freshly, soy sauce, chinese rice vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil, sugar, red pepper, clove garlic, ginger, scallions

Taken from recipeland.com/recipe/v/chinese-veggie-salad-soy-dressi-53302 (may not work)