Cabbage- Not Napa! Ramen Noodle Salad
Your favorite Napa style cabbage salad but saving a few pennies by using regular cabbage.
Your favorite Napa style cabbage salad but saving a few pennies by using regular cabbage.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- dressing
- 1/2 head cabbage - can mix green /red shredded or fine chop
- 1 onion finely chopped - can use 4 green
- 1/4 approx pound deli ham chopped
- 1/4 approx pound deli turkey chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds roasted optional
- 1 package top ramen noodles chicken - save flavor packet
- 1/2 cup sugar i like it sweet, can reduce
- ramen noodle flavor packet
- Carbohydrate 6.72447546378676 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 16.8838618899736 g
- Fiber 1.35731943760978 g
- Protein 2.06650097273763 g
- Saturated Fat 2.24821229414072 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (79g)
- Sodium 5137.54709382806 mg
- Sugar 5.36715602617698 g
- Trans Fat 1.71153681931421 g
- Calories 181 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine cabbage and green onions. Sprinkle ramen, almonds and meats over cabbage mixture. If electing to roast almonds for 10 minutes, then cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Combine dressing ingredients; mix or shake well and chill. Before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.
Using standard green cabbage instead of Napa cabbage fundamentally alters the moisture content and structural integrity of a raw salad. Standard heads possess dense, tightly packed leaves with thicker cell walls that resist wilting far longer under high-acid dressings. Whisking the cider vinegar and oil until completely emulsified prevents the dressing from instantly breaking down the fibrous exterior of the chopped leaves. Without emulsification, the acid pulls water from the tissues too rapidly, turning crisp vegetables soggy within minutes.
Storage and Make-Ahead Mechanics
Prepared green cabbage holds its crunch in the refrigerator for up to twenty-four hours when stored separately from the dressing. Keep the chopped deli meats and dry ramen noodles in a sealed container alongside the vegetables until twenty minutes before serving. Toss the elements together immediately prior to consumption to maintain textural contrast between the crunchy noodles and tender leaves. Roasting the sliced almonds at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for exactly ten minutes releases their essential oils, imparting a toasted aroma that cuts through the rich olive oil base.
- If the dressing separates during chilling, shake the jar vigorously for fifteen seconds before pouring.
- Substitute standard white sugar with honey using a 4:3 ratio if adjusting sweetness levels.
- Check cabbage freshness by pressing the outer leaves; they should snap rather than bend.
