Crunchy Asian Salad

This crunchy Asian salad bursts with vegetables, can be topped with various proteins, and features a light yet flavorful dressing. Make the salad ahead of time by keeping the dressing separate.

A note on some of the ingredients:

Napa cabbage: Napa cabbage is also called Chinese cabbage. It has a milder taste from regular cabbage and is not as dense. It makes a great base for a salad however if you can’t find napa cabbage you could substitute romaine lettuce for the base.

Light tamari sauce: Tamari sauce is naturally gluten free and a great substitute for soy sauce. I prefer to use the light tamari sauce for a lighter colour and less sodium. A good substitute would be either Regular tamari sauce or gluten free soy sauce.

Hoisin sauce: Hoisin sauce is a thick sauce that is sweet, salty and slightly smoky. Read the labels carefully as many hoisin sauces contain wheat. In this recipe an easy substitute would be gluten free soy sauce or tamari sauce.

Mirin: Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine. It helps to add a sweetness to the dressing. I found mine in the international section of the grocery store but it can be difficult to find. If you don’t have mirin on hand rice vinegar with 1/4 tsp of sugar is a good substitute.

Fresh Ginger: I always have a ginger root on hand. They are easy to find in the grocery store and relatively inexpensive. I do find that they tend to dry out easily so I store mine in the freezer. When I need fresh ginger in a recipe I take the gingerroot out of the freezer 5 minutes ahead of time and then using a small grater I can easily grate the frozen ginger. Because it is a little harder to measure the exact amount of ginger this way ensure that you taste as you go.

How the crunchy salad is made

Gather all of the necessary ingredients for the salad dressing and a clean jar with a lid.

ingredients for dressing for crunchy Asian salad

Add all of the dressing ingredients to the jar, grating in the ginger and garlic. Close the jar and shake it until all of the ingredients have combined. The dressing will keep in the covered jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Wash and dry the cabbage leaves and then cut them into shreds. Thinly slice the carrots, red peppers and green onions and place them into a large bowl with the cabbage. Carefully chop the peanuts, tear the cilantro and add to the top of the salad. For added protein you can lightly steam some edamame or add my crispy tofu or add both! Pour the dressing over the crunchy Asian salad, toss everything together and serve.

Enjoy!