Easy Vegan Pomelo Salad: A Fresh & Light Holiday Recipe

Vegan pomelo salad is an indispensable dish for important festive occasions like the Mid-Autumn Festival, bringing a light, refreshing flavor to family gatherings. With the detailed guide below, you will easily prepare a delicious, beautiful vegan pomelo salad, suitable for any party.

Vegan Carrot Cucumber Salad is another vegetarian dish you can refer to to enrich your menu.

Ingredients for Vegan Pomelo Salad with Fried Tofu Skin

• Fresh tofu skin: 150 gr
• Pomelo: 300 gr
• Kumquat: 1 fruit
• Carrot: 1 corm
• Cucumber: 2 fruits
• Horn chili: 2 fruits
• Vietnamese coriander: a small bunch
• Roasted peanuts: 50 gr
• Fried shallots: 50 gr
• Minced garlic: 2 teaspoons
• Chili powder: 2 teaspoons
• Cooking oil: 50 ml
• Vegetarian fish sauce: 3 teaspoons
• Vegetarian seasoning powder: 1 teaspoon
• Common seasonings: a little (salt/sugar/pepper)

How to Choose Fresh Ingredients

How to Choose Fresh Carrots

• Good carrots have a vibrant orange color. Choose medium-sized carrots; if they are too large, they might be old, and if too small (excluding mini carrots), they might be too young and lack their characteristic flavor.
• Observe the carrot tops; greener tops indicate fresher carrots that have just been harvested. Conversely, faded tops mean the carrots have been stored for a while and are less fresh and sweet.
• Avoid carrots that feel soft when pressed, as these are withered and won’t taste good when cooked.

How to Choose Fresh Cucumbers

• You should choose cucumbers with a bright, even green color. Select elongated cucumbers of consistent size rather than short and round ones.
• Opt for cucumbers that feel heavy in hand, have fewer bumps, and a few small spines on their skin, as these tend to be sweeter.
• Avoid cucumbers that are bulging, large in the middle, or have a large head and small tail, as these are overripe, have many seeds, are tough, and not as tasty.

Ingredients for vegan pomelo salad

How to Make Vegan Pomelo Salad with Fried Tofu Skin

Prepare the Ingredients

• Fresh tofu skin: Cut into small strips, rinse thoroughly, and drain.
• Pomelo: Peel, separate the segments, and gently squeeze to release some juice.
• Carrot: Peel, wash, and julienne.
• Cucumber: Wash, remove seeds, and julienne.
• Horn chili: Wash, deseed, and thinly slice.
• Vietnamese coriander: Wash and finely chop.

Mix the Salad

• Place all prepared ingredients into a large bowl.
• Add minced garlic, chili powder, cooking oil, vegetarian fish sauce, vegetarian seasoning powder, and common seasonings to the bowl.
• Mix all ingredients thoroughly until well combined and seasoned.

Finishing

• Sprinkle roasted peanuts and fried shallots on top of the salad.
• Garnish with a few kumquat slices and Vietnamese coriander for an appealing presentation.

Finished vegan pomelo salad

Ingredients for Vegan Pomelo and Mushroom Salad

• Pink pomelo: 1 fruit
• Oyster mushrooms: 300 gr
• Basil: 3 sprigs
• Minced chili: 1 teaspoon
• Roasted sesame seeds: 20 gr
• Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
• Cooking oil: 50 ml
• Vegetarian fish sauce: 1.5 tablespoons
• Sugar/salt: a little

Ingredients for vegan pomelo mushroom salad

How to Choose Good Oyster Mushrooms

• Fresh and good oyster mushrooms have white or grey stems, large and firm caps, and vibrant colors.
• You should choose oyster mushrooms that grow in clusters, with thin and smooth gills under the cap, indicating they are fresh and newly harvested.
• Fresh oyster mushrooms have a characteristic mushroom aroma and feel firm when held.
• It’s best to buy packaged oyster mushrooms with careful packaging, clearly indicating origin and information such as production date and expiry date.
• Do not buy oyster mushrooms if they are watery, slimy, bruised, or have a strange smell, as these are spoiled and unusable.

How to Make Vegan Pomelo and Mushroom Salad

Prepare the Ingredients

• After purchasing, cut off the muddy bases of the oyster mushrooms, then soak them in diluted salt water for about 15 minutes. Afterward, take them out, rinse with clean water, and drain.
• Next, tear the oyster mushrooms into strands.
• Peel the pomelo, separate the segments, and break them into bite-sized pieces.

Step 1: Preparing ingredients for vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Step 1: Preparing ingredients for vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Fry the Mushrooms

• Place a pan on the stove, add 50ml of cooking oil, and heat the oil over medium heat.
• Once the oil in the pan starts to simmer, add the oyster mushrooms gradually, increase to high heat, and stir-fry evenly until the mushrooms are golden. Then, remove them to a plate (lined with oil-absorbing paper) to drain excess oil.

Step 2: Frying mushrooms for vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Step 2: Frying mushrooms for vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Prepare the Salad Dressing

• To make the salad dressing, prepare the following ingredients in a bowl: 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1.5 tablespoons of vegetarian fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and 3 tablespoons of filtered water. Stir all ingredients well until dissolved.
• Finally, add about 1 teaspoon of minced chili to the dressing and stir well.

Step 3: Making the dressing for vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Step 3: Making the dressing for vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Step 3: Making the dressing for vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Finishing

• First, place about 1 pomelo segment into a small bowl, add approximately 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of salt, mix well, and gently squeeze with your hands to release the pomelo juice and absorb the seasonings.
• Next, add the fried mushrooms and the remaining pomelo segments to a bowl, mix gently, then pour all the prepared pomelo sauce over them and mix the mixture evenly.
• Finally, add a little roasted sesame seeds and basil to the salad bowl and mix once more to ensure all ingredients are well combined and flavored.
• For the accompanying dressing, you can either add a little into the salad and mix, or serve it separately in a small bowl, as preferred.
• Now, let’s present the dish! Place the pomelo peel on a plate, then spoon the mixed salad into the pomelo peel, sprinkle with a little more sesame seeds, garnish with a few basil sprigs, and serve with the accompanying dressing.

Step 4: Finishing the vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Step 4: Finishing the vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Step 4: Finishing the vegan pomelo mushroom salad

Final Dish

• The vegan pomelo and mushroom salad is exquisitely presented, looking just like a dish from a fine restaurant!
• This beautiful light pink pomelo salad offers a delightful balance of sweet and sour flavors, complemented by the subtle aroma of basil. This salad is sure to be a family favorite.

Step 5: Final vegan pomelo mushroom salad dish

Step 5: Final vegan pomelo mushroom salad dish

How to Choose Good Pomelo for Salad

• You should choose a pomelo with taut, shiny skin that is slightly yellowish, and a uniformly round shape. A good pomelo feels heavy in your hand, and when tapped, it produces a hollow sound, indicating thin skin, juiciness, and slight elasticity.
• For salad, select a pomelo with white or pale pink flesh and long, slightly dry segments to ensure they stay firm. If the pomelo is too watery, it will easily become mushy and not taste good in the salad.

The Significance of Eating Pomelo During Mid-Autumn Festival

• Pomelo is not merely a fruit for eating, making drinks, or cooking. It also holds significant meaning, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival, where the image of large, round, plump, and green pomelos is indispensable.
• In Chinese, the word for pomelo also signifies “reunion” and family gatherings. Therefore, some families still uphold the tradition of eating pomelo or using it to make salads for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
  Vegan Carrot Cucumber Salad is also a suitable vegetarian dish for you to try during the festive season.

Conclusion

Vegan pomelo salad is a light, easy-to-make dish, perfectly suited for important festive occasions like the Mid-Autumn Festival. With the detailed guide above, you can easily prepare it and bring delicious, beautiful flavors to your family feast. We wish you success and delightful meals with your loved ones!