Chinese Salad

Posted by Vanessa in Cooking, November 4, 2010

My mom has always made this salad.  And I’ve always loved it.  So now I always make it and life is good.  The Phoenix loves it too and even our little birds like to munch on the crunchy noodles.  Now I honestly have NO idea why it’s called Chinese Salad…I never make it when I’m cooking Chinese.  I usually serve it when I’m making pork, lately I’ve thought it was yummy alongside (or even on top of) a BBQ pulled pork sandwich.  Sort of like a special stand-in for coleslaw.

One thing that’s nice about this salad is that you can (and should) prep the ingredients separately ahead of time, so all you have to do before dinner is throw it all together.  Keep in mind though that this salad will get soggy fairly fast so leftovers really are only good for about 24 hours.  And I left this out of the recipe, but sliced scallions are yummy in it too.  I just usually forget to include them, not really sure why, but I’m always forgetting those little green onions.  Silly me.

Chinese Salad

recipe from my mom
Details
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes.
  • Ready in 15 Minutes.
  • Makes: 6 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 cups slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1 small cabbage, chopped (or one bag already shredded)
  • 2 packages uncooked ramen noodles, broken up
  • 1 can mandarin oranges, drained (optional, but super yummy addition)
Directions
  • Combine 1 cup oil, vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt in a large mason jar (do not put the lid on). Microwave 1 minute and let cool to room temperature.
  • Heat remaining oil in a medium skillet and saute almonds and sesame seeds until they are toasted. Let cool.
  • Combine cabbage, ramen noodles, almonds, mandarin oranges and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Stir dressing to combine and pour over salad. Toss gently. Let set for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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