⏱ Prep: 15 min 🔥Cook: 0 min 👤Serves: 4–6 🌿Vegan
Asian cabbage salad is shredded cabbage, green, purple, or both, tossed in a sesame ginger dressing with rice vinegar, soy sauce and a little honey. It is sharp, crunchy, properly seasoned and takes about fifteen minutes. The kind of side dish that disappears faster than anything else on the table.
The dressing is what makes it. Toasted sesame oil for depth, rice vinegar for tang, fresh ginger and garlic for punch, soy sauce for salt and umami. The ratio matters, too much sesame oil and it turns heavy; too little vinegar and it tastes flat. Make the dressing first, taste it before it touches the salad, and adjust there.
Ingredients
For the salad
- ½ small green cabbage (about 400g), finely shredded, cut the cabbage into quarters, remove the core, then slice as thinly as possible with a sharp knife or mandoline. Thin shreds absorb the dressing better and are easier to eat than thick chunks. Napa cabbage gives a softer result; regular green cabbage gives more crunch.
- ¼ small red/purple cabbage (about 150g), finely shredded, for colour contrast. Optional but visually striking.
- 2 medium carrots, julienned or coarsely grated
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced, optional but adds sweetness and colour
- Large handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, substitute with Thai basil or flat-leaf parsley if cilantro is not your thing
- ½ cup roasted cashews or peanuts, for crunch. Toast raw cashews in a dry pan 3–4 minutes if starting from raw.
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, white or black, or a mix
For the sesame ginger dressing
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, unseasoned. Lighter and less harsh than white wine vinegar. The acid that lifts the whole dressing.
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, or tamari for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, this is a finishing oil, do not use it for cooking. One tablespoon is correct. More makes the dressing heavy and overpowering.
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, vegetable or sunflower; thins the dressing without adding flavour
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, balances the vinegar. Maple syrup for fully vegan.
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon sriracha or chili flakes, optional, for heat
- Juice of ½ lime, optional but brightens everything
Step by step
- Make the dressing first. Whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, neutral oil, honey, ginger, garlic and sriracha in a small bowl until the honey has fully dissolved. Taste, it should be tangy, savoury and slightly sweet, with the ginger present but not dominant. Adjust: more vinegar for tang, more honey to soften, more soy sauce for salt. This is the only moment you can fix the flavour before it hits the vegetables.
- Prep the vegetables. Shred the cabbages as finely as you can, this is the most important prep step. Thick shreds stay rigid and don’t absorb the dressing; thin shreds become slightly silky once dressed and are much more pleasant to eat. A mandoline makes this fast; a sharp chef’s knife works fine. Add to a large bowl with the carrot, green onion, bell pepper and cilantro. If making ahead: shred the cabbage and refrigerate undressed for up to 2 days, it stays perfectly crisp. Add the dressing, cashews and sesame seeds only just before serving.
- Dress and toss. Pour the dressing over the vegetables. Toss thoroughly, use tongs or clean hands, lifting from the bottom of the bowl to coat everything evenly. Taste a piece of dressed cabbage and adjust seasoning. Add the lime juice if using.
- Add crunch and serve. Scatter the cashews and sesame seeds over the top just before serving. If they go in too early they absorb moisture and lose their crunch. Serve immediately or rest for 10–15 minutes, the cabbage softens very slightly and the flavours deepen, which some people prefer.
Claire’s note
The dressing ratio here, 3 tablespoons vinegar to 1 tablespoon sesame oil is deliberate. Many Asian salad dressings use too much sesame oil and end up tasting oily and one-note. Sesame oil is intensely flavoured and needs the acid to balance it. Taste the dressing before it goes on the salad, adjust it there, and then trust it. The other thing: add the cashews at the last possible moment. Soggy cashews are one of life’s minor disappointments and entirely avoidable.
Serve with
Asian cabbage salad works as a side dish alongside almost anything from the Asian side of the site, Gochujang potato salad, Korean fried chicken, Thai pineapple chicken fried rice, or dragon chicken. It also works tucked into tacos, stuffed into wraps, or served alongside grilled meat. The full Asian recipes collection has everything it pairs with.
Add Asian cabbage salad to your weekly meal planner as a make-ahead side, shred the vegetables on Sunday and keep undressed in the fridge, then dress and add crunch right before each meal throughout the week.
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Asian Cabbage Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A vibrant and crunchy salad made with finely shredded cabbage and tossed in a delicious sesame ginger dressing.
Ingredients
- ½ small green cabbage, finely shredded
- ¼ small red/purple cabbage, finely shredded (optional)
- 2 medium carrots, julienned or coarsely grated
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
- Large handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- ½ cup roasted cashews or peanuts
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (vegetable or sunflower)
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon sriracha or chili flakes (optional)
- Juice of ½ lime (optional)
Instructions
- Make the dressing first by whisking together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, neutral oil, honey, ginger, garlic, and sriracha in a small bowl until the honey is fully dissolved. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Prep the vegetables by finely shredding the cabbages and adding them to a large bowl along with carrot, green onion, bell pepper, and cilantro.
- Dress and toss the salad by pouring the dressing over the vegetables and tossing thoroughly until well coated.
- Add cashews and sesame seeds just before serving to maintain their crunch.
- Serve immediately or allow to rest for 10-15 minutes for flavors to deepen.
Notes
Keep shredded cabbage undressed in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Add dressing and toppings just before serving to keep them fresh and crunchy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: No Cooking Required
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
