Rainbow Asian Noodle Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing
User Reviews
5
Rainbow Asian Noodle Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing
Description
This salad features cooked ramen noodles cooled and lightly oiled, combined with thinly sliced savoy and red cabbage, shredded carrots, colorful bell peppers, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, green onions, and a mix of fresh mint, cilantro, and basil. The ingredients create a mix of crunchy, tender, and aromatic textures. The ginger peanut dressing, made with olive oil, honey, minced garlic, soy sauce, creamy peanut butter, grated fresh ginger, rice vinegar, and chili garlic sauce, ties the salad together with a balance of sweet, savory, tangy, and spicy notes.
After tossing all components with half of the dressing, the salad is garnished with honey-roasted peanuts, additional fresh herbs, and optional sesame seeds. It is suitable for serving as a side dish or light main and keeps well as leftovers, making it practical for meal planning. The recipe yields enough to serve 8-10 people.
Adjusting the dressing's chili garlic sauce allows control over spice level. The noodles should be cooked just until tender and cooled promptly to avoid wilting the fresh vegetables. Prepping the components ahead of time streamlines serving.
Ingredients
For the noodles:
- 6 ounces ramen noodles 2 3-ounce packages, seasoning packet removed
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 medium garlic finely minced, cloves
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce low-sodium
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter creamy
- 2 tablespoons ginger finely grated fresh
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Chili garlic sauce more, to taste
For the salad:
- ½ small savoy cabbage very thinly sliced (green cabbage can be subbed, head
- ¼ small red cabbage very thinly sliced, head, purple
- 8 ounces carrot or 4 medium-size carrots, peeled and shredded, shredded
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper cut into thin matchstick pieces
- 1 medium red bell pepper cut into thin matchstick pieces
- 6 ounces cucumber thinly sliced, mini
- 4 ounces sugar snap peas halved lengthwise
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced at an angle, aka scallions or spring onions
- ½ cup basil a combination or just one, chopped, fresh
- ½ cup mint
- ½ cup cilantro
For garnish:
- ½ cup peanuts we love the salty sweetness of honey-roasted peanuts but regular roasted peanuts also work well, roasted
- mint basil and cilantro leaves, leaves
- basil
- cilantro
- sesame seeds optional -I like to use a black and white combination
Instructions
For the noodles:
- Fill a medium-size pot ¾ full with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Break each block of noodles in half before adding to the boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Drain well again then drizzle lightly with oil (olive oil or any mild oil is fine) and toss with 2 forks to coat. Set aside.
For the dressing:
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a medium-size jar with a tight-fitting lid. Stir with a fork or small whisk until everything is well combined. Taste and add more chili garlic sauce if desired. Cover with the lid and shake well before using.
For the salad:
- Prep and chop all of the salad ingredients. Combine the ramen noodles, cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, snap peas, green onions and chopped fresh herbs in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Drizzle with half of the dressing then toss again.
- Garnish with the peanuts, fresh herbs leaves and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve extra dressing and more peanuts at the table.
Notes
- This recipe yields 8-10 servings, making it suited for meal prep or group meals.
- Adjust the amount of chili garlic sauce in the dressing to control the spice level according to preference.
- Cook noodles until just tender, then rinse with cold water to stop cooking and keep the salad fresh.
- Use a mix of fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, basil) for authentic flavor; substituting one or two is acceptable if not all are available.
- Honey-roasted peanuts add a subtle sweet crunch, but regular roasted peanuts can be used as an alternative.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 236 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 236kcal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 25g | 8% |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Fat | 13g | 20% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Sodium | 611mg | 25% |
| Potassium | 341mg | 7% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 9g | 18% |
| Vitamin A | 4499IU | 90% |
| Vitamin C | 54mg | 60% |
| Calcium | 41mg | 4% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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