For many people in Asia or of Asian heritage, Crispy Noodle Salad is the ultimate comfort food. Like a warm hug from your mum, this superb dish fuses subtle and exotic Asian flavours with the mightily satisfying crunch of nuts and crispy noodles to give your soul an instant lift.
Featuring Wombok Chinese cabbage, green spring onions, toasted almond slivers and, of course, the crispy noodles, this much-loved Crispy Noodle Salad is a classic Australian staple.
This salad recipe can be found on the back of Chang’s Crispy Noodle packet and is a popular favourite Down Under for summer BBQs and casual get-togethers with family and friends.
Light on the stomach but unquestionably delicious, it is the kind of dish you can just keep eating. Although the sesame dressing and noodles are the headline acts, the cabbage is essential for ensuring those flavours sing in your mouth.
Breaking down Chang’s Crispy Noodle Salad
As mentioned, there are a few elements to this wonderful, heart-warming dish. Let’s take a look at them in more detail.
Crispy Noodles
Really, any type of noodles can be used in this dish, but to make a truly Aussie version then, using Chang’s is essential. They cost around $1 per packet and can be found at most supermarkets and Asian grocers. Also, the norm is to have thin noodles, although wider ones work just as well.
If you don’t have any Chang’s noodles in your cupboard or they are out of stock when you go to buy them, you can use ramen or instant noodles as an alternative.
Wombak Chinese Cabbage
Often referred to as just Wombak or Napa, this type of Chinese Cabbage is perfect for the crispy noodle salad as it is softer than most other types of cabbage.
It has a texture that falls somewhere in between soft leafy greens like spinach and traditional green salad that is often quite stiff. Therefore, it is able to wilt and melt into the dish better.
The Dressing
The dressing is an important part of the salad as that is what gives it a fresh, tangy flavour. It is made from a mix of white vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, castor sugar and olive oil.
How to make Crispy Noodle Salad
The crispy noodle salad is an incredibly easy dish to make. Below is an overview of the steps involved.
Just be sure to follow the golden rule of not adding the crunchy noodles until you are ready to serve. Remember, you are supposed to be making a crunchy noodle salad, not a soggy one!
Recipe
Portions: 4 people
Preparation time: About 15 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy to make
Ingredients:
1 pack of Chang’s Fried Noodles (Original*)
½ Wombok (Chinese cabbage), finely shredded
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
½ cup toasted almonds (slivered is best)
*You can substitute for Chang’s Gluten-Free Fried Noodles if you have a food allergy or their Crunchy Fried Noodles brand if you fancy something different.
Dressing:
¼ cup castor sugar
¼ cup white vinegar
½ cup olive oil
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
(Chang’s brands are good options for the sesame oil and soy sauce, though any brand will do)
Method:
- Shred the cabbage finely and put it in a big bowl with the almonds, spring onions and Chang’s Original Fried Noodles. Toss well until they have properly combined.
- Pour the castor sugar, white vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil and soy sauce into a jar and shake vigorously for a minute or so. (It is better to shake than stir as these ingredients combine better that way)
- Immediately before you want to serve, pour the dressing all over the salad and keep tossing it until it is completely covered.
Preparation Notes
Shredding cabbage can be hard. But a good way to do it is to begin by cutting it in half and taking out the thick white core section from the centre of each half.
The best way to do this is to lay the flat side of the cabbage down onto a chopping board and to cut a ‘V’ shape in the middle of it. Once you have done that, you can turn it over and carefully remove the core.
At this point, use a large and sharp knife to cut the cabbage into very fine shreds, working from one end to the other. As normal cabbage often has tighter leaves, it is best to shred it into one piece. Therefore, you should hold the cabbage down firmly with one hand and shave down the other side of it.
Serving Suggestions
- You can fill this meal out more by adding shredded BBQ pork or chicken and/or a fried egg on top of it.
- It can be served with pretty much anything – not just Asian food. So regardless of whether you have it with sweet and sour pork or lemon chicken, or BBQ steaks and beef kebabs, they make the perfect accompaniment.
