This delicious Asian cabbage salad boasts a wonderfully complex flavor profile thanks to a tasty dressing of sesame oil, vinegar, and soy sauce.
I received the recipe for this salad from my mother-in-law. Many of her recipes are quite elaborate, but this is an easy one. It's one of my favorite salads, and my entire family enjoys it. Its flavor profile is quite different than the flavor of this homemade coleslaw. Not surprisingly, it goes exceptionally well with Asian-style main dishes. I love that you can make it ahead of time, refrigerate it for a few hours, and then serve it. It gets better in the fridge!
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Shredded cabbage: To make life easy, I use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw. But it's not difficult to shred cabbage with a sharp knife, as I do in this fried cabbage recipe.
- Sesame oil: I use toasted sesame oil.
- Rice vinegar: I don't recommend using distilled white vinegar. It's too acidic.
- Reduced-sodium soy sauce: You can use a gluten-free alternative if needed.
- Red pepper flakes: They don't make the salad very spicy, but they add a nice layer of flavor. If you want the salad to be truly spicy, increase the amount you use according to your taste.
Variations
- Sometimes, I use broccoli slaw in this recipe. It's just as good as cabbage slaw.
- You can substitute apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar for rice vinegar.
- Add shredded cooked chicken and turn this salad into a main dish salad, similar to this Chinese chicken salad. If you go this route, increase the dressing ingredients by 50%.
- Add ¼ cup of slivered almonds for extra crunch.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl. Add the scallions, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes.
Mix well with a large spoon. Let the flavors meld for 30 minutes. Mix again before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Allowing the flavors to meld for at least 30 minutes is important. It does make a difference. You can let the salad rest at room temperature for up to an hour. If you plan to let it rest for longer, it's best to cover it and keep it in the fridge.
- Toasted sesame oil is extra flavorful, but regular unrefined sesame oil will work, too. However, refined sesame oil is nearly flavorless, so it's not recommended. It works well for cooking, not for dressing a salad.
- White vinegar is harsh and acidic, while rice vinegar is very mild, almost sweet. They have a completely different flavor profile. If you're out of rice vinegar, try using white wine vinegar.
- Storage: You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. In fact, this salad tastes even better the next day and keeps tasting great right up to the last day you keep it. Stir it one more time before serving.
Serving Suggestions
This salad pairs well with any Asian-style main dish. I often serve it with Asian meatballs, sweet-and-sour meatballs, sesame shrimp, Asian salmon, or soy sauce chicken. It's pretty to serve it in a Chinese bowl, as shown in this photo:
But this salad is versatile enough that I sometimes serve it with "regular" main dishes such as baked chicken breast, baked chicken thighs, or baked pork chops.
Recipe Card
Asian Cabbage Salad Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 12 ounces shredded cabbage - 5 cups; I use a bag of coleslaw mix
- ¼ cup scallions - green parts only, thinly sliced
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce - or a gluten-free alternative
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl. Add the scallions.
- Add the sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes.
- Mix well with a large spoon. Let the flavors meld for 30 minutes. Mix again before serving.
Notes
- Allowing the flavors to meld is important. It does make a difference. You can let the salad rest at room temperature for up to an hour. If you plan to let it rest for longer, it's best to cover it and keep it in the fridge.
- I don't recommend using regular vinegar in the dressing. White vinegar is harsh and acidic, while rice vinegar is very mild, almost sweet.
- Toasted sesame oil is extra flavorful, but regular unrefined sesame oil will work, too. However, refined sesame oil is nearly flavorless, so it's not recommended. It works well for cooking, not for dressing a salad.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. In fact, this salad tastes even better the next day and keeps tasting great right up to the last day you keep it. Just remember to stir it one more time before serving.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
David says
Great tasting Asian flavors!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it, David!
Deb Dotters says
A bit salty for my taste. I added some sugar and would use low sodium soy sauce. But great otherwise! I fun way to eat cabbage!
Vered DeLeeuw says
The recipe calls for light soy sauce. Perhaps the wording isn't clear. I'll go ahead and change it to "reduced sodium."