Asian Slaw With Sweet Soy Dressing Recipe
Today I zhoozhed up an old favorite recipe for Asian slaw to make it more lively and interesting-looking. My husband likes it a lot, so what’s been the knock on this tasty, economical salad?
The flavor has always been amazing but looked rather bland and boring. The pale brownish-green color of the old recipe reminded me of socks that would have looked better if someone had presoaked them. So I zinged up this Asian slaw with a punch of color, and I love the new look! Check out those beautiful jewel tones!
I’m on a cabbage kick, and apparently, most of America is too. And why not? A head of cabbage is a bargain! Cabbage is rich in antioxidants, keeps a long time in the refrigerator, and is the most Changeable Charlie of all veggies.
Cabbage has found its way into the schmaltziest restaurants and is the new darling of cooking shows on TV. Once the staple of only the poorest kitchen, this cruciferous vegetable is now enjoying rock-star status.
Crisp, delicious green cabbage is the foundation of this old favorite, the salad we’ve loved for years. But it needed some pizazz, some color! The solution was right in my crisper drawer!
Purple cabbage and carrots added so much color! Like choosing the right accessory for an outfit, this simple addition made it a standout! What’s more, it did not change the flavor profile but only made it look better on the plate!
The Crunchy Almond and Noodle Topping Is The Best Part
Ramen noodles, remember the ones from your old starving-college-student days? Those noodles are the base of this salad’s slightly sweet, crunchy part. Two of the top ramen noodle brands recently relabeled “Oriental” as “soy-flavored” to more accurately depict the flavor because there are so many different sauces in Asian cuisine.
Soy is by far the most popular ramen noodle flavor in the U.S., and soy is the flavor you’ll want to choose for this recipe. Set aside the flavor packets for the dressing. Now on to making the topping!
Melt butter in a skillet and add the brown sugar. Crunch up the uncooked noodles into small pieces and heat them with the almonds and sunflower seeds until everything is a little bit toasty and lightly browned.
The butter and brown sugar create a crisp, tasty glaze on everything. Set aside the topping to cool. I always snitch a little when I make it. I’m not even kidding. I could eat the whole batch!
Shake Up The Asian Slaw Dressing
The dressing is a simple mixture of sugar, soy sauce, flavor packets from ramen noodles, and vegetable oil. Combine the ingredients in your favorite salad dressing shaker or a small glass jar and mix or shake it like crazy until everything is combined.
Colorful Asian Slaw
Colorful Cabbage Slaw with a slightly sweet soy dressing and a crunchy glazed noodle and almond topping.
Ingredients
Topping
- 1/4 cup butter
- noodles from 2 packages soy flavored ramen noodles, crushed
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 3 Tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
Dressing
- 2 flavor packets from soy flavored ramen noodles
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce
Slaw
- 2 cups of purple cabbage, shredded fine.
- 1 cup grated carrot.
- 1/2 of a medium head of green cabbage, shredded fine. About 4 or 5 cups.
Instructions
- Combine shredded cabbages and grated carrots in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a salad dressing shaker or small glass jar. Shake well until ingredients are well mixed. Set aside.
- Topping Instructions: Melt butter in a skillet and add noodles, almonds, sunflower seeds, and brown sugar. Stir and mix until everything is lightly toasted and slightly browned. Let cool and set aside.
- Before you are ready to serve the salad, shake the dressing again, pour it over the vegetables, and toss them together. Add crunchy topping and mix into the slaw.
- Hint: The crunchy elements do not stay crunchy in the refrigerator, so if you do not expect to eat the whole salad at one meal, serve the topping on the side and let each guest add it to their portion. The cabbage mixture itself keeps well in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 388Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 1033mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 8g
Now Let’s Create This Beautiful Colorful Asian Slaw
Finally, toss the cabbage and carrots, drizzle on the dressing, and stir it together. Wait until serving time to add the crunchy topping and mix it in.
Hint: This salad is best when it’s all eaten on the day you serve it. The crunchy doesn’t stay crunchy in the refrigerator! Here’s what I do when I make it for just Papa and me. The slaw itself keeps well in the fridge for a few days. I separate the topping in a zip lock bag and add it to the salad when we eat it. Crunch, crunch, crunch, yeah!
That’s it! You may want to add sesame seeds to the topping or some green onion to your Asian slaw to make it your own! We like the soy dressing on the sweet side; you may want to adjust the sweetness for your family.
If you bought a nice plump head of cabbage, you might want some other recipes to use up the extra! Here are some of our favorites; Colcannon, corned beef and cabbage, red cabbage, and runzas. Do you have some pet recipes for cabbage? We’re all ears! Please share. We’d be so tickled to hear from you!
MORE OF OUR QUICK AND EASY FAMILY-STYLE RECIPES:
The Ultimate Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe
The Number 1 Practically Perfect Poppy Seed Bread
Oven-Baked Steak With Brown Gravy
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