Sunday, November 29, 2009

Oriental Napa Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

1-2 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles (seasoning packets are optional)
1/4 cup butter or combination olive or canola oil and butter
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds (or regular sliced)
1 large head napa cabbage, shredded
6 green onions, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (olive or canola)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/8 cup white sugar ( use Splenda for a low calorie version)

Directions

Crush noodles, place them in a medium skillet and brown in butter over medium heat. Add almonds and sesame seeds. Stir often to prevent burning. (Some people and the seasoning packet here, but I prefer not to.) Set aside until ready to serve salad so they stay crunchy.

Slice and chop or shred the napa cabbage. Add green onions if using.

Prepare the dressing by whisking together the vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Pour over salad, toss, add noodles and onions, toss again and serve.

These are the official directions. This is my little variation. I used two packages of crushed ramen noodles and half a cup sliced almonds. (I didn't have sesame seeds and it was fine.) I put them in a frying pan with three tablespoons hot olive oil and three tablespoons butter. I stirred them constantly over high heat until browned. You might need to remove the pan from the heat periodically to keep them from burning. some people coat them with the oil and roast them in them oven.