Healthy Asian Crunch Salad Recipe

⏱ Prep:20 min 🔥Cook: 0 min 👤Serves: 4–6 🌿Diet: Vegan option, Gluten-free option

Asian crunch salad recipe is what happens when you decide that a salad should actually be satisfying, not a plate of wilted leaves you eat out of obligation but something with so much texture, color and flavor that you want it specifically, on purpose, because it is genuinely the best thing on the table. Shredded green cabbage and purple cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, edamame, cucumber and snap peas tossed in a sesame ginger dressing of toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, fresh ginger and garlic, finished with wonton strips, roasted cashews and toasted sesame seeds. Twenty minutes. No cooking. The crunch lasts for two days in the fridge which makes it the best meal prep salad in this collection.

I made this for a weeknight dinner in Nashville and ate it three days in a row for lunch. That is the actual test of a salad recipe.

What you need

For the salad

• 2 cups (180g) green cabbage, very thinly shredded, or napa cabbage for a more delicate result. The thinner the shred the better the dressing absorbs.
• 2 cups (180g) purple cabbage, very thinly shredded, adds color and a slightly peppery note. Do not skip, the color contrast is half the appeal of this salad.
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned or grated or use 1 cup pre-shredded carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced, red, orange or yellow only, green bell pepper is too bitter for this dressing
• 1 cup (155g) shelled edamame, frozen, defrosted and patted dry. Available at every grocery store in the freezer section.
• 1 cup (130g) sugar snap peas, strings removed and sliced diagonally or snow peas
• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced,English cucumber has thinner skin and fewer seeds than regular cucumber
• 4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped or substitute fresh mint, Thai basil or a combination

For the crunch toppings, add at serving, never ahead

• 1 cup wonton strips, available in the salad topping section of most grocery stores. Or: crush dried ramen noodles (uncooked) for a budget substitute.
• ½ cup (70g) roasted cashews, unsalted. Roasted peanuts or slivered almonds both work equally well.
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

For the sesame ginger dressing

• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, toasted, not plain. This is not the same product, toasted sesame oil has the deep, nutty fragrance that defines the dressing. Check the label.
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, the most authentic Asian vinegar for this dressing. Substitute: white wine vinegar or fresh lime juice.
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari for a gluten-free version
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup for a vegan version
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated, fresh only. Ground ginger produces a flat, dusty result.
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, avocado, sunflower or light olive oil. Balances the intensity of the sesame oil.
• ½ teaspoon sriracha, optional for heat. Start with ¼ teaspoon and adjust.
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Let’s make it

1. Make the dressing first. Combine toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, grated ginger, grated garlic, lime juice, neutral oil and sriracha in a jar with a tight lid. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds until completely emulsified. Taste, it should be nutty, tangy, slightly sweet and fragrant. Adjust: more rice vinegar for tang, more honey for sweetness, more sriracha for heat. Set aside or refrigerate, the dressing can be made up to 7 days ahead.Make the dressing first and let it sit while you prepare the vegetables. The ginger and garlic infuse the oil as it rests and the dressing is noticeably better after 10 minutes than it is immediately after shaking.
2. Shred the cabbage. Stack several cabbage leaves and slice as thinly as possible with a very sharp knife, aim for ¼ inch (6mm) strips or thinner. A mandoline slicer produces the best result if you have one. Thin cabbage absorbs the dressing in a way that thick-cut cabbage does not, it goes from crunchy slaw to deeply flavored salad rather than remaining a bowl of undressed vegetables.
3. Prep all vegetables. Julienne the carrots, slice the red bell pepper, halve and slice the cucumber, pull the strings from the snap peas and slice diagonally, defrost and pat dry the edamame, slice the spring onions, roughly chop the cilantro. Add everything to a large bowl.Pat the edamame completely dry before adding, wet edamame dilutes the dressing and makes the salad watery. A few seconds in a clean kitchen towel is all it takes.
4. Dress and toss. Pour the dressing over the vegetables. Toss thoroughly for 2 full minutes, longer than feels necessary. The cabbage needs to be worked into the dressing rather than just coated. Every piece should be shiny and well dressed before you stop. The more you toss, the better the flavor penetrates the cabbage.If making ahead: dress now and refrigerate up to 48 hours. The cabbage will soften very slightly but remain satisfyingly crunchy. Add the toppings only at serving.
5. Add the crunch toppings at serving only. Scatter the wonton strips, roasted cashews and toasted sesame seeds over the dressed salad immediately before serving. These toppings go soggy within 20 minutes of contact with the dressing, they must be added at the last possible moment. If storing leftovers, keep toppings separate and add fresh to each portion.

The difference

Toasted sesame oil is not interchangeable with plain sesame oil in this dressing, and the difference is not subtle. Toasted sesame oil is pressed from roasted sesame seeds and has a deep, concentrated, almost smoky nuttiness that is one of the most immediately recognizable flavors in Asian cooking. Plain sesame oil is pressed from raw seeds and has almost no flavor. The bottle will say “toasted” — look for it specifically. The dressing built around toasted sesame oil is what makes people ask for this salad recipe. The dressing built around plain sesame oil is why some people think they do not like sesame salad dressings. This is a significant difference. Buy the right bottle.

Make it a meal

Claire’s note

This salad becomes a complete meal with protein added. The best options in order of preference: shredded rotisserie chicken tossed into the salad just before serving, fast, no cooking, works perfectly. Grilled gochujang chicken skewers sliced and laid over the top, the spicy glaze against the sesame dressing is extraordinary. Crispy tofu: press, cube and pan-fry until golden on all sides, then toss into the salad while still warm. Edamame only for a completely plant-based version, double the amount to 2 cups for a satisfying protein level. The salad holds perfectly in the fridge for 2 days dressed, making it the best meal prep option in the Asian recipes collection.

Serve with

Asian crunch salad works as a side alongside Korean BBQ or char siu chicken, the fresh, acidic salad cuts through the richness of the glazed meats in exactly the right way. It also stands completely alone as a lunch, dressed the night before and portioned into containers, topped with fresh cashews and wonton strips at the office.

Add this salad to your weekly meal planner, make the dressing Sunday, shred the vegetables Sunday, dress it all and it holds until Wednesday without losing its crunch. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.