I love that you can make it ahead of time, refrigerate it for a few hours, and then serve it. Needless to say, the leftovers are delicious! I got the recipe for this Asian cabbage salad from my mother-in-law. Many of her recipes are quite elaborate, but this is an easy one—though it does not lack flavor! It’s one of my favorite salads, and my entire family enjoys it. Its flavor profile is quite different than the flavor of this homemade coleslaw. Not surprisingly, it goes exceptionally well with Asian-style main dishes.
Ingredients
Recipe Card
Shredded cabbage: To make my life easy, I use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw in this recipe. But it’s not difficult to shred cabbage with a sharp knife, as I do in this fried cabbage recipe. Sesame oil: I like to use toasted sesame oil. It’s so flavorful! But any unrefined sesame oil will be great in this salad. Refined sesame oil is less suitable, as it’s nearly flavorless. Rice vinegar: I don’t recommend using distilled white vinegar. It’s too acidic. Light soy sauce: I use reduced-sodium soy sauce in most of my recipes. You can also use a gluten-free alternative. Red pepper flakes: They don’t make the salad very spicy but add a nice layer of flavor. If you want the salad to be truly spicy, you can increase the amount you use according to your taste.
Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl. Add the scallions, then add the sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Mix well with a large spoon. Let the flavors meld for 30 minutes. Mix again before serving. You can let the salad rest at room temperature for up to an hour. If you plan to let it rest for longer, it’s best to cover it and keep it in the fridge. It’s pretty to serve it in a Chinese bowl, as shown in this photo: Apart from Asian-style dishes, this salad is versatile enough that I sometimes serve it with “regular” main dishes such as baked chicken breast, baked chicken thighs, or baked pork chops.
