I don’t usually eat raw Chinese cabbage, but when co-worker Caryn Saito brought her salad to a potluck, I couldn’t get enough of it.
Chinese cabbage, also known as won bok or napa cabbage, is related to broccoli, kale, cauliflower, collard greens, bok choy, and more. These vegetables are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber that many of us need to stay healthy.
Caryn was kind enough to share her recipe, which I’m sharing with you. And since February 17 is National Cabbage Day, it’s the perfect day to eat … and celebrate … cabbage.
Make the dressing in a little blender, if you have one. It’s too easy.
Blended and ready for the refrigerator.
Chinese cabbage … or whatever you want to call it.
Slice, chop, or shred. I think I’ll try slightly thinner slices next time.
Here’s a tip my Mom taught me – pinch off and discard the green onion tips. Then you’ll avoid pointy green things in your salad, which are aesthetically offensive. To me, anyway.
This bag of shredded carrots from our HMSA farmers market comes in handy when you need a lot of it for muffins or cake or carrot-raisin salad. For this salad, the shreds were a little too long, so I chopped them.
Toss the vegetables together then drizzle with dressing and toss again. Garnish with won ton chips and sesame seeds. Of course, you can use practically any vegetable you like. (Caryn’s original recipe included shredded lettuce.) I’m thinking red cabbage, mung bean sprouts, thinly sliced celery, kale, and cilantro. What do you think?
Chinese Cabbage Salad
Dressing
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard
Salad
1 head Chinese cabbage, sliced about 1/4-inch
Shredded carrot
Chopped green onion
Won ton chips, broken
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
Place dressing ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into a jar and refrigerate. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrot, and green onion. Add dressing to taste (you might not need all of it) and toss again. Garnish with won ton chips and sesame seeds.
