Totoro Family Recipes: Oriental Cabbage Slaw

I'm sure every cook has a recipe for Oriental Cole Slaw in their repertoire. Each one is slightly different, however. Some are heavy on the oil and light on the vinegar. Some use 1/4 cup of sugar (or more) while others just a couple of tablespoons.

This is the only recipe we used, however. It appeared in our church cookbook from the mid 1990s, and we've enjoyed it as a tasty summer side dish ever since.

As I recall, the adults enjoyed the recipe more than the kids, but now that the children are grown up, perhaps their tastes have changed.

Here is the recipe, in case they choose to try it sometime... and here is a tribute to our family church.

Ingredients for Slaw:

• 1 head shredded cabbage 
• 1 cup slivered almonds - or to taste 
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds - or to taste 
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 package Ramen noodles (chicken flavor)

Ingredients for Dressing:

• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon black pepper (or less)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup salad oil (I tend to use a little less)
• 1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (I've also used apple cider vinegar)
• package of chicken soup seasoning from ramen noodles

Directions:

1. Brown almonds and sesame seeds under the broiler. Let cool.
2. Mix almonds and seeds with cabbage and green onion.
3. Break up ramen noodles into small pieces (I find doing this in a quart-size plastic bag is less painful than doing it with my bare hands).
4. Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over the slaw. Toss together and serve.

This slaw is best served within a few hours of preparation. Otherwise, the ramen noodles tend to become soggy.

Oriental Cabbage Slaw

This post is part of BethFishRead's Weekend Cooking Link-Up. For more delicious recipes, please visit her weekly blog feature.