Crunchy Asian Chopped Salad
Make this quick and crunchy Asian chopped salad in under 8 minutes; it’s the perfect outdoor salad because the dressing contains no mayonnaise. Chopped iceberg lettuce, green cabbage, green onions, roasted sunflower seeds, water chestnuts and crispy chow mein noodles make this a great main salad that travels well and can tolerate the summer heat. Simply combine the salad ingredients in a bowl, store the dressing in a jar, and combine the ingredients tableside when you get to your picnic or family reunion!
- Crisp, crunchy lettuce greens, chopped green cabbage, crisp water chestnuts and crispy noodles, salty roasted sunflower seeds and the homemade No-mayonnaise dressing are the secret to this salad
- No soy sauce, no sesame oil, no fish sauce and no oyster sauce- just simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen!
Ingredients
I do NOT recommend using a bag of coleslaw mix that has purple or red cabbage in it. WHY? The chopped Asian salad turns pink when you pour the dressing over it and I don’t find “pink” salad very appealing:)
- Start with crisp iceberg lettuce, chopped green cabbage, a drained can of chopped water chestnuts and chopped green onions.
- Salad Dressing ingredients: this easy homemade asian dressing consists of: brown sugar, oil (vegetable oil or canola oil) and rice wine vinegar
- Crunchy salad toppings,- you’ll need Chow Mein rice noodles, toasted sesame seeds, dry roasted sunflower seeds or chopped peanuts
(I use La Choy™ crunchy chow mein noodles, but you can use any brand you prefer. Or, you can use crunchy ramen noodles.)
Yield
One large head of iceberg lettuce and 2 cups of crunchy asian cabbage yields about 4-6 cups of chopped salad. The dressing recipe makes about 2 cups which is plenty for this crisp salad.
How to make chopped Asian salad
- Using a sharp knife, chop lettuce and cabbage into small pieces; rough cut drained water chestnuts, and finely chop whole green onions; cover and refrigerate while the salad dressing cooks
- In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine the brown sugar, rice vinegar and oil; cook until sugar dissolves;allow to cool a little before pouring over salad
- Pour cooled dressing over lettuce; combine well, then top with dry roasted sunflower seeds, toasted sesame seeds and crispy noodles. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Tips
If you’re taking this Asian crispy salad to a potluck, family reunion or picnic, simply store the salad dressing in a Mason jar and pour it over the crisp greens right before serving. Add the crunchy noodles and other topping last.
- Allow the Asian salad dressing to cool a little before pouring over lettuce/water chestnuts
- Add crunchy noodles and sunflower seeds last; if you add them in when you add the dressing, they get soggy
- If you’re taking this to a picnic, put the dressing in a Mason jar and pour it over the asian salad at the last minute; garnish with sunflower seeds and Chow Mein noodles and serve!
- Serve with slotted spoon or tongs
- If you use a pre-chopped cabbage salad, I do not recommend including purple cabbage in the salad mix because it turns pink when you add the dressing and doesn’t look very appetizing
Variations for crunchy Asian salad
The recipe as written, results in a vegan salad, however, if you want a more hearty salad, increase the protein content by adding cooked chicken (diced chicken), cooked fresh salmon, smoked salmon or tofu.
For more vibrant colors, add in fresh veggies like crisp snow peas, sugar snap peas, edamame, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, diced cucumbers or diced red onions.
For the crunchy Asian salad toppings, consider adding slivered almonds, dry roasted peanuts, diced macadamia nuts or crunchy wontons!
Storage and make ahead
You can prep the crisp salad up to three days in advance. Chop the iceberg lettuce and wrap it in paper towels, then store it in an airtight container. As for the salad dressing, you can make it in advance and store it in a sealed jar for up to three days.
When you’re ready to serve this delicious chopped salad, simply let the salad dressing come to room temperature. Shake the jar of dressing and add it to the chopped salad.
This quick and crunchy Asian chopped salad in under 8 minutes; it’s the perfect outdoor salad because the sweet and tangy dressing contains no mayonnaise.
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♥ If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating below! Thank you!
Chopped Asian Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 6 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped (about ½ a large head of lettuce chopped)
- 3 cups chopped green cabbage See recipe notes
- 1 cup chopped green onions See recipe notes
- 8 ounces water chestnuts , drained and rough cut (See recipe notes)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Chow Mein noodles See recipe notes
- sunflower seeds ,dry roasted and salted (See recipe notes)
- salt and pepper , to taste
Dressing Ingredients
This makes about 2 cups of dressing, which is plenty. See recipe notes below about Salad Dressing.
- ⅔ cup brown sugar packed
- ⅔ cup rice wine vinegar
- ⅔ cup oil , vegetable, canola or olive oil
Instructions
- In a small saucepan on medium low heat, add brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, oil; cook until sugar is dissolved; set aside to cool⅔ cup brown sugar, ⅔ cup oil, ⅔ cup rice wine vinegar
- Rough cut lettuce and cabbage into small pieces; place in large mixing bowl6 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped, 3 cups chopped green cabbage
- Drain water chestnut and rough cut into small pieces; add to lettuce mixture8 ounces water chestnuts
- Add chopped green onions to lettuce; season the salad with salt; toss, cover and refrigerate1 cup chopped green onions, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- When ready to serve, pour a little of the dressing over lettuce mixture, give it a good toss; sprinkle in about ½ cup each of chow mein noodles and sunflower seeds; season to taste with more salt and black pepperChow Mein noodles, salt and pepper, sunflower seeds
Notes
- Use chopped celery, green bell pepper
- Use apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
One of the aides at work used to bring this to all our potluck lunches, and if you were in the back of the line, it would be gone!!! Of course, I made sure I got some by saying stuff like “Girls first!” Haha
Thank you! This Crunchy Asian Salad is a summer favorite of mine!