Vegetarian Chicken & Cucumber Salad

A friend of mine introduced me to Syuh-Gei / 树记 a specialist shop in Sham Shui Po selling homemade soybean products.  I go to their shop and sometimes have to line up for 30 min or more (!) to buy fresh vegetarian chicken / sò-gâi as well as soybean sticks / fuh-jûk (presented in Glossary II of April 21, 2011).  

There are 2 kinds of sò-gâi: One type is bigger in size and costs $9. The other type is slightly smaller (~150g), is vacuum-packed and costs $7. The latter can be kept up to 3 weeks in the fridge, whereas the former only a few days. 

Vacuum packed sò-gâi

Sò-gâi / vegetarian chicken (2pcs - large size)

Vegetarian chicken can be sliced and cooked - sautéed - usually with vegetables and mushrooms in a vegetarian dish (see my recipe: Greens, Mushrooms and Vegetarian Chicken  as part of Menu 1 - post of March 16, 2011.  A few years ago the same friend told me that sò-gâi could also be eaten cold - straight from the fridge.  She also gave me her recipe which has now became one of my favourite starters.  Here is her recipe:

Ingredients: will make a mall size appetizer (2-3 persons)

• 1 vegetarian chicken, sliced and cut into half-moons
• 100g cucumber, cut into large chunks

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp light soya sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or  minced (I prefer crushed garlic as it has a stronger flavour)

Steps:

In a salad bowl mix all the dressing ingredients well together. Add the vegetarian chicken and cucumber into the bowl. Stir well. Leave to stand for at least 30 min in the fridge. Serve cold.

Vegetarian Chicken & Cucumber  Salad