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Crunchy Ramen and Cabbage Salad

5.0

(1)

salad in a bowl with red napkin and a few crumbs
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime

Okay, bear with me here, but the best cookout side is my mom’s ramen slaw, made from uncooked ramen noodles (yes, the kind you ate at 3 a.m. in your college dorm room) mixed with shredded cabbage, sliced almonds, scallions, and lots of vinegar and sugar, which softens the ramen to crispy-yet-noodley perfection without a stove or microwave in sight. I thought this recipe was exclusive to the mom community of suburban Massachusetts until colleague Shilpa Uskokovic informed me that her mom made a near-identical version for family parties in Chennai, India. Turns out true culinary genius knows no borders.

Since instant ramen is already precooked it’s technically not raw and is perfectly fine to eat. Spring for good quality ramen here (such as Shin brand) as it’ll make the difference between deliciously crunchy or rock-hard ribbons. Make the dressing, toast the almonds, and shred your cabbage up to 1 day ahead for easy assembly on the day of. —Hilary Cadigan

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    6–8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup sliced almonds
1 3–4-oz. package any flavor instant ramen noodles
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅔ cup sugar
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 small head of green cabbage (about 1 lb.), thinly sliced
½ small head of red cabbage (8 oz.), thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, remove seasoning packet from ramen noodles and set aside. Crush noodles with your hands or a rolling pin until pieces are peanut- to walnut-size.

    Step 3

    Vigorously whisk vinegar, oil, sugar, and ramen seasoning from reserved packet in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Combine green and red cabbage, scallions, half of ramen noodles, half of almonds, and half of dressing in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add more dressing if needed (reserve any remaining dressing for another use). Top salad with remaining ramen and almonds.

    Do ahead: Dressing can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

TagsDinnerLunchSideEasyQuickHealthyishVegetarianDairy FreeSaladGreen CabbageCabbageLeafy GreensVegetableRed CabbageRamen NoodleNoodlePasta & NoodlesAlmondNutBon Appétit

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