Asian Cabbage Salad (Printer-Friendly)

Crunchy cabbage with sesame-ginger dressing, cashews, and fresh herbs. Light, refreshing, and ready in 15 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 4 cups shredded green cabbage
02 - 2 cups shredded red cabbage
03 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
04 - 3 green onions, thinly sliced
05 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

→ Nuts & Seeds

06 - 1/3 cup roasted cashews or peanuts, roughly chopped
07 - 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

→ Dressing

08 - 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
09 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
10 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
11 - 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
12 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
13 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
14 - 1 garlic clove, minced
15 - 1 teaspoon sriracha or chili sauce, optional

# Method:

01 - In a large bowl, combine shredded green and red cabbage, julienned carrot, thinly sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro.
02 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce or tamari, lime juice, honey or maple syrup, grated ginger, minced garlic, and sriracha until well blended.
03 - Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss thoroughly to coat all vegetables evenly.
04 - Add the chopped roasted nuts and toasted sesame seeds to the salad and toss again just before serving.
05 - Serve immediately for maximum crunch, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in fifteen minutes, which means you can make it while something else is cooking without breaking a sweat.
  • The dressing is a perfect balance of tangy, spicy, and sweet that somehow tastes more complex than it has any right to be.
  • It stays crunchy and delicious for hours, so it's forgiving enough for weeknight dinners and elegant enough for guests.
02 -
  • Dress this salad too far in advance and the cabbage will weep, becoming limp and sad; there's a reason I learned to do this step last.
  • The difference between a great sesame dressing and a mediocre one is toasted sesame oil—don't skip it or substitute it, because that nutty, amber quality is what makes people ask where you learned to cook.
03 -
  • Keep your sesame oil in a cool, dark place because it goes rancid faster than other oils, and rancid sesame oil tastes like regret.
  • If you're bringing this to someone's house, pack the nuts and seeds separately and add them right before serving, or let your host know it's best eaten within two hours of dressing for maximum texture.
Return