This is my favorite noodle salad: instant ramen noodles, napa cabbage and lots of roasted almonds and sunflower seeds.
This salad’s original name is actually Yum Yum Salad, named after the instant ramen noodles brand used to make it. I had it for the first time about 5 or 6 years ago and didn’t like it at all, I was appalled by its saltiness, there were no sunflower seeds in it and the general look of it was not particularly inviting. And then the thought of actually eating those cheap packages of instant noodles, which are normally used for making a quick soup… Well, I got over it now, this salad is just too good. I have never used those noodles for making soup, but I keep buying them just for this salad.
But then a friend of ours made this salad for us two years ago. I remembered that disastrous salted thing from a few years earlier and was not particularly eager to eat Maelle’s salad. But I tried it, of course, and was completely hooked. Ever since, one of us, mostly Maelle makes this salad almost every time we are planning some kind of grill party or summer birthday party and so on. Everybody absolutely loves it, it is fresh, mild and, due to those roasted almonds and sunflower seeds, incredibly aromatic. I realise now that the extreme saltiness I experienced before was caused by the use of the liquid seasonings found in the noodle packages. We don’t use them, we just take the dry mixture also found in the package and adjust the taste, if necessary, with more regular spices.
So, although I love all of the salads posted here during the past two weeks, if there would be only one you would choose to make, make this one, you will love it!!!
Rating
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-8
- 1 napa cabbage, about 500 g/ 2.2 lbs
- 1 larger onion
- 100 g/ 3.5 oz whole almonds
- 100 g/ 3.5 oz sunflower seeds
- 2 packages instant ramen noodles and their dry seasoning
- 150 ml/ ⅔ cup olive oil
- 8 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- salt and pepper
- Finely slice the napa cabbage and place the shreds in a very large bowl. Chop the onion finely and give it to the cabbage.
- Roast the almonds in a large pan, without using any fat, until fragrant. Remove from the pan. Roast the sunflower seeds in the same pan until golden and fragrant. Give them to the almonds.
- In the meantime break the instant ramen noodles on top of the napa cabbage shreds. Discard the liquid seasoning.
- In a small bowl, mix together the noodles' dry seasoning, oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk well until the sugar dissolves.
- Give the hot almonds and sunflower seeds to the salad, add the dressing and stir well. Leave to marinade for about 2-3 hours. Stir again and adjust the seasoning.
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Others you might like:
Baked Vegetables with Almond Dressing
19 comments
There’s just something about the crunch of those noodles! This is one of our favorites too. I haven’t added sunflower seeds before. I will need to give that a try!
I think the sunflower seeds and the almonds are the best about it, you have to give it a try, Kathy.
What a different salad! I wouldn’t have thought to put ramen noodles and cabbage together! I remember those ramen noodle packages from years ago. I didn’t eat much of them…so much salt! Love the almonds in this salad…bet they add a nice texture 🙂
I don’t think that I have ever eaten those noodles in any other combination than this one… And you are right about the salt, but I think skipping the liquid seasoning helps.
I love noodle salads and this one looks fantastic! So much crunch and super easy to put together! I could eat this for lunch and dinner! Cheers, friend!
Same with me, I could eat this salad any time of the day… 🙂
So the ramen noodles can be eaten without being cooked! I have never made it but I just know I will love the crunch in here!
I don’t know if all ramen noodles can be eaten without being cooked. These ones are instant, they come in little packages with some spices and you can make soup with them by just adding hot water. Never had the soup though, I only ever buy them to make this salad.
I’ve seen this salad around but never tried it before. Savoy cabbage is the best and I can just imagine it with all those crunchy noodles, nuts and seeds. All of the salads in your series have been super yummy looking but I’ll have to start with this one since you recommend it so highly! Thanks Adina 🙂
I hope you try it, Brie. But it’s napa cabbage not Savoy. I made the same mistake, I wrote my whole post using the term Savoy cabbage and just before publishing I realized it is actually the napa or Chinese cabbage, so I had to change it everywhere… 🙂
Instant ramen noodles are magic!!! And this salad looks summertime perfect. 🙂
I love ramen noodles, but never thought of making salad with that. And this crunchy and flavorful salad looks absolutely delicius.
This is pure comfort food for me..any ramen dish really 🙂 I remember eating lots of sunflower seeds as snacks when I was a kid
I can see why this is such a hit – it’s the perfect picnic food and I bet that mixture of textures and flavors is just killer! I would definitely skip the flavor packet too – those things creep me out. Can’t wait to give this a try!
I toast the ramen noodles and almonds. I also add sesame seeds (toasted too) and it makes a really nice crunch! Also, I add a tablespoon of soy sauce and do not use the spice pack that comes with the ramen.
Toasting the noodles sounds great, I will try it the next time. And I think I would like the sesame seeds as well. Thanks.😊
Can I use something else in place of the white wine vinegar? Any suggestions would be so helpful.
Yes, of course, take whatever vinegar you happen to have. You might want to start with less vinegar in case its taste its stronger than the white wine vinegar and adjust the quantity until it fits your taste. If I don’t have white wine vinegar in the house I normally replace it with plain vinegar or herb vinegar.
Ok! Thanks so much.