Quick and Easy Noodle and Bean Sprout Salad

Northern Chinese love to have small side dishes accompanying their more elaborate meals. Such dishes serve as refreshing interludes between the main courses. They are easily prepared in advance and most often served at room temperature.

But many of these side dishes are excellent when served as components of simpler meals. Here is a basic beansprout salad that I first enjoyed a few years ago at a friend’s home in Beijing. It is a wonderful dish to serve with grilled meats on a warm