Asian-Inspired Napa Salad

By Foodiewife

Ingredients

• 2 Packages Ramen noodles, any flavor, uncooked. Throw away the seasoning packets.
• 3-4 Tablespoons butter (the original recipe calls for 1/2 stick of butter!)
• 3-4 Tablespoons light olive oil
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds (or 1/4 cup sesame seeds and 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds)
• 2 small heads of Napa cabbage (or 1 small head of Napa and 1 small head of Romaine), thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced, using some of the green
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
• Dressing (this will make enough to dress the salad and some left to serve on the side)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger or you can use freshly grated ginger to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried garlic powder or 1 small clove freshly grated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Melt butter and oil over medium heat in very large frying pan. Saute the noodles and almonds until very brown, breaking up the noodles with a wooden spoon as they brown. Add the sesame seeds last as they brown quickly.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.

In a very large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients. Toss with enough dressing to coat and then serve. If you wish, you can reserve some of the noodle/nut mixture to garnish.