Asian Noodle Salad

By draingal

Ingredients

• Salad Ingredients:
• 1 package linguine noodles; cooked, rinsed and cooled
• 1/2 head sliced Napa cabbage (or more to taste)
• 1/2 head sliced purple cabbage (or more to taste)
• 1/2 bag baby spinach (or more to taste)
• 1 whole red bell pepper; sliced thin
• 1 whole yellow bell pepper; sliced thin
• 1 whole orange bell pepper; thinly sliced
• 1 bag Bean Sprouts
• Chopped Cilantro, up To 1 bunch
• 3 whole scallions; sliced
• 3 whole cucumbers; peeled & sliced
• 1 can (about 10 Oz.) whole cashews; lightly toasted in skillet
• _____
• For the Dressing:
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger; chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic; chopped
• 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos; chopped
• Chopped Cilantro

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from thepioneerwoman.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cut up the veggies. And you can just use approximate quantities, using more of what you like most, or more of the colors you like. To cut up the Napa cabbage, just slice it across the head. Next, cut up the purple cabbage, if you have other lettuce add that too!

Just cut up whatever quantity makes you happy…set it all aside.

In a bowl (or a jar), add 8 tablespoons of Olive Oil. Add 8 tablespoons of soy sauce. Now add 2 to 3 tablespoons of sesame oil. Now add in 1/3 cup packed brown sugar. The sugar is really essential in this dressing, because the salty soy sauce and acidic lime juice really need a balance. Often I’ll add more brown sugar at the end if the dressing needs a little more sweetness. Chop up 2 cloves of garlic and add it into the bowl. Add it into the dressing…

And whisk away! It’ll be a little thick because of the brown sugar, but thick is good. Thick is real, real good.

Now, this is optional, but I think it really adds something to the mix. Seed, then cut a hot pepper (I use Serrano, but a jalapeno would work, too) into strips.

Then rotate the strips 90 degrees and slice in the opposite direction to chop it up. Use as much as you’d like; I use 1 to 2 peppers, total. But you might want to go easy if you’re of the pansy persuasion. Add it into the dressing.

Add a bunch into the dressing, and stir together. (IMPORTANT: If you’re making the dressing ahead of time, do not add the cilantro. I just make the dressing, keep it in a jar, then throw in the cilantro at the last minute and give it a good shake. If you add the cilantro ahead of time, it’ll be a wilty mess. And you’ll never, ever forgive yourself. Ever.)

Add the cold noodles to a large bowl…now pour on the delicious dressing.

Just make sure everything’s adequately coated. And the cool thing is, if the salad seems a little dry, just mix up a little of the wet ingredients of the dressing and throw it in. It’s a very organic process.

And just pour it right on. Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

I feel like sesame seeds would also be an excellent addition.