Crunchy Ramen Salad

Crunchy Ramen Salad

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There are may versions of this Midwest classic, but I think this version is pretty close to whatever the original was, and I’m sorry I don’t have a story for the history of this strange Crunchy Ramen Salad concoction. I remember my grandma making it. I thought it was weird (this is salad?) but I enjoyed the sweet crunch, so why not add it to the Wisconsin food blog?

It’s pretty easy, and you can tweak it to your liking. All you need is:

  • a bag of coleslaw mix
  • sunflower seeds
  • sliced almonds
  • ramen noodles
  • green onion
  • vegetable oil
  • distilled vinegar
  • sugar

First you mix the salad, then you mix the dressing and toss it all together. I added a bit of salt & pepper to mine since the nuts were raw, I felt the salad could use a little balance of salt to the sugar.

Alterations:

  • Make the coleslaw mix from scratch with Napa cabbage (about 3 cups), red cabbage (about 2 cups) and carrots (about 1 cup).
  • Use organic ramen noodles.
  • Add extra carrots, shredded or sticks.
  • Add sesame seed, or swap the vegetable oil for olive oil or avocado oil.
  • Swap the white vinegar for rice vinegar.
  • Add a tablespoon of soy sauce to the dressing.
  • You can toast the nuts in the oven, or stir fry the nuts with the noodles in butter for extra buttery crunch.

This crunchy ramen salad is a perfect potluck or cookout side dish; you could call it “disappearing crunchy ramen salad”!

Tips:

To crush the ramen noodles, you could use a rolling pin. I put mine in a quart Ziploc bag (don’t seal the bag), and ended up kind of hammer-rolling it out to bite-size pieces.

Also note that this salad is best eaten the day it is prepared. When you let the ramen noodles sit in the dressing, they will absorb it and no longer be crunchy.

Crunchy Ramen Salad

A light, crunchy summer salad with an Asian twist that's easy to make and a great crowd-pleaser!
Prep Time15 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 8
Calories: 329kcal
Cost: $9

Ingredients

Salad Base

  • 1 bag coleslaw mix
  • 1 c sunflower kernels
  • 1 c sliced almonds
  • 2 bags ramen noodles
  • 4 stalks green onion

Dressing

  • ¾ c vegetable oil
  • c distilled vinegar
  • ½ c sugar
  • ½ t pepper
  • ¼ t salt

Instructions

  • Combine the salad base ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Whisk the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Add the dressing to the salad and mix well to coat.

Notes

Crunchy Asian Salad Nutrition Label
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