A Quick and Easy Salad Perfect for Any Meal
- 1 tsp. salt
- 0.25 cup sesame seeds
- dressing:
- salad:
- 2 packages soba noodles (or 8 packages top ramen noodles)
- 0.5 cabbage sliced thin
- 0.5 purple cabbage sliced thin
- 8 oz. bean sprouts
- 2 cucumbers peeled and sliced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup yellow onion sliced
- 0.75 cup olive oil
- 0.75 cup lime juice
- 0.5 cup soy sauce
- 0.5 cup green onion chopped
- 4 tbsp minced ginger (i use ginger paste from a tube)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp. hot asian chili sauce
- Carbohydrate 26.60734125 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 27.0038875 g
- Fiber 5.54909997920319 g
- Protein 8.58104125 g
- Saturated Fat 3.8146415 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (413g)
- Sodium 2048.0195 mg
- Sugar 21.0582412707968 g
- Trans Fat 0.970519750000005 g
- Calories 360 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
- In a VERY LARGE bowl, toss together all the salad ingredients except the noodles and the sesame seeds.
- Boil the noodles, then cool them by rinsing in cold water. Drain thoroughly. Mix the noodles into the salad. Pour dressing over the top and toss lightly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- This makes 4 servings at my house, but probably 8 at yours. :)
- If you want to add some meat to this salad, I suggest sliced BBQ pork, or cooked crab meat (out of the can is just fine).
Swapping soba noodles for standard wheat ramen blocks radically alters the starch content and water absorption rate of the dish, meaning you must adjust your boiling time carefully to prevent a gummy texture. Standard pasta pots often lack the surface area needed to chill large volumes of noodles quickly, so having a wide colander ready in the sink is essential for halting the cooking process immediately under cold running water. Whisking the oil, lime juice, and soy sauce in a medium glass bowl creates an emulsion that holds up better than plastic when acidic ingredients like fresh citrus juice are introduced.
Boiling noodles without a thermometer requires watching the starch bloom and testing a single strand against your teeth for a tender yet firm bite, typically achieved within four to six minutes depending on the thickness of the pasta. Drain the rinsed noodles thoroughly in a perforated metal colander for at least five minutes to remove excess moisture, preventing the dressing from becoming diluted when combined.
Slicing green and purple cabbage requires a sharp chef knife and a stable cutting board to achieve the paper-thin ribbons that absorb the acidic dressing evenly. A microplane grater works efficiently for turning raw ginger roots into a smooth paste if tube varieties are unavailable, though removing fibrous strands beforehand ensures a uniform consistency throughout the dressing.
Tossing the bulk of the vegetables in an oversized mixing bowl ensures the olive oil and sesame oil coat every leaf without bruising the delicate bean sprouts. Folding the chilled noodles and toasted sesame seeds in at the very end preserves their structural integrity before serving the dish immediately.
