Asian

Chinese Salad; A Basic American Style Chinese Salad Recipe

We admit it. This isn’t an authentic Chinese Salad recipe. It is more along the lines of a typical American green salad recipe inspired by the the authentic Chinese flavors. Still it’s what most American’s think of when they think Chinese salad. The typical American style Chinese salad is a combination of lettuce, noodles and Asian style dressing. They are also prepared as a main dish by adding chicken. That’s what we call i our family a Chinese Chicken Salad. This one does not have meat and is therefore more of a side dish recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 head of cabbage (Napa Cabbage is good)
• 2 packages of Ramen Noodles
• 1 or 2 packages of slivered almonds
• 1 stick of butter
• sesame seeds
• mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
• 8 to 10 green onions
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 3 TBSP soy sauce

How to Prepare

1. Mix the sugar, the red wine vinegar dressing, and soy sauce in a pan and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Set aside to cool and thicken.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet. Break up the ramen noodles into small pieces and brown them slightly in the butter. Add the almonds and the sesame seeds and toast them until they are golden brown. You’ll need to stir it frequently to prevent scorching.
3. Tear the Napa Cabbage into small pieces.
4. Chop the green onions – both the white and the green portion.
5. Toss the onions and cabbage together. Toss with the toasted mixture, and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
6. Serve with the dressing on the side.

Helpful Hints

• Nappa Cabbage is from the same family as the typical green cabbage, however its flavor is sweeter and milder.
• The dressing can be made to taste. You can substitute honey for the sugar, and try different types of vinegars until you find the combination you really like. You could try red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or coconut vinegar. We do not recommend your typical white distilled vinegar as it has a very strong flavor that is best used in pickling.

© 2008 Cooking Up Memories.