Honest Cooking’s Nicole Criss with her take on the deliciously fresh and spicy tiger salad that she walked a mile to taste.
By Nicole Criss
I recently walked a mile to eat a salad. I told my husband and son I was going to get some exercise, but as soon as I left the house, I was guided by my tastebuds, straight onto the streets of Chinatown. That’s one of the nice things about living in downtown Manhattan. I am just a stone’s throw away from what feels like another country, with sights, sounds and smells to go with it. It’s a wonderful change of pace and I’m drawn back there whenever I get a minute to myself. 
So there I was, tucked inside this tiny take-out restaurant, Xi’an Famous Foods. The place is known for its stunningly spicy hand pulled noodle dishes, but since this was a snack in-between meals I decided to try the only vegetable dish they offer: the Tiger Salad, a pungent and spicy salad made of jalapeños, cilantro, and maybe some celery leaves- doused in vinegar. It really got me sweating and I was “fired up” for the rest of my walk.
This salad my take on the Tiger Salad. On the way home, I stopped and bought all the ingredients, adding a little something to help counter the spice– cucumber which is naturally cooling. We’ve since been on a Tiger Salad binge, eating it three days in a row.
PrintWalk a Mile Tiger Salad
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Inspired by the Tiger Salad served at Xi’an Famous Foods in NYC’s Chinatown. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll walk a mile for it too.
Ingredients
- 1/2 English Cucumber
- 3–4 celery stalks (preferably with leaves)
- handful of cilantro
- 1 green jalapeño
- 1 red jalapeño
- 2–3 scallions
- Vinegar to taste
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber and celery stalks on the bias.
- Chop the cilantro.
- Cut the jalapeños on the bias (you can remove the seeds, or some of them to reduce the intensity of the spice.)
- Slice the scallions on the bias.
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and douse with vinegar.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
You can use a white vinegar or an apple cider vinegar.
- Prep Time: 3 mins
Great piece, I will be attempting it soon! But the tiger salad is not Xi’an’s only vegetable dish. They offer a delicious spicy cucumber salad as well.
I just left NYC from a biz trip. I was blown away by this place. I tried the tiger salad and have been trying to deconstruct to make at home because I always have cilantro and celery that goes bad in my crisper.
The secret to ME is the way they cut the greens (e.g. thin diagonal celery cuts and 1/2 cuts of cilantro including stems – a rare addition) AND the dressing. The dressing definitely has a bit of sesame oil in it and perhaps a combo of lime and vinegar. What I can’t pin down is the depth of saltiness it has. It is salty but not overpowering. Maybe a squirt of fish sauce and/or some sea salt dissolved. Anyone venture a guess?