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Asian Cabbage Salad

Asian Cabbage Salad

This asian cabbage salad turns two inexpensive heads of cabbage and five pantry ingredients into the bowl that people remember at every potluck and request again the following week. You make it in twenty minutes, dress it early, and let the cabbage do the work while you wait. Whether you keep it simple or turn it into a full asian cabbage salad with ramen noodles, the peanut dressing carries everything and keeps the bowl tasting sharp, rich, and worth every bite.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Asian
Calories: 123
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
  • 1/2 small head green cabbage (finely sliced (about 3 cups)*)
  • 1/2 small head red cabbage (finely sliced (about 3 cups)**)
  • 1 medium red bell pepper (very thinly sliced)
  • 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 medium)
  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame (thawed)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Equipment

  • Sharp chef's knife
  • Giant mixing bowl
  • Baking sheet

Method
 

  1. Toast the almonds
    You spread the sliced almonds in a single layer on a dry baking sheet and slide them into a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for five minutes. You stay nearby, because almonds pass from pale gold to burnt ash in about twelve seconds once they turn the corner. You pull them out as soon as they smell warm and nutty and let them cool on the pan.
  2. Prep and combine the vegetables
    You halve the green and red cabbage, remove the tough core with two diagonal cuts, and slice each half into thin strips. You cut the red bell pepper into thin matchsticks. You add the two cabbages, bell pepper, carrots, edamame, and cilantro to your largest mixing bowl and toss them loosely so the colors distribute evenly. If you try this step in a medium bowl, you spend the next ten minutes picking runaway cabbage off the counter.
  3. Mix the peanut dressing
    You add the rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, creamy peanut butter, and minced ginger to a measuring cup or small bowl. You whisk vigorously until the peanut butter fully incorporates and the dressing looks smooth and pourable. The peanut butter resists at first and then suddenly loosens, so you keep whisking past the lumpy stage. If the mixture stays too thick, you add warm water one teaspoon at a time.
  4. Toss and serve
    You pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss everything together with two large spoons or clean hands until every piece of cabbage glistens. You scatter the toasted almonds over the top at the very last second so they stay crispy instead of softening in the dressing. You taste a big forkful before you carry the bowl to the table and make any final adjustments to salt, acid, or sweetness.