Asian Green Salad

Keith's Recipes

Asian Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Cashews

This is a recipe I came up with for a Independence Day barbecue a friend had invited me to. he said he was making Terayaki Chicken, and I was trying to figure out what to bring as a side.

I decided a green salad would be safe, but wanted to figure out something that would go with the Terayaki better. I searched for 'Asian Salad recipes,' and got some ideas, but none of the recipes I found really sounded quite like what I wanted to make. So, I came up with this Asian Green Salad.

Asian Green Salad

Serves about 16

• 1/8 c. Rice Vinegar
• 1/8 c. Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Chopped Garlic
• 1 Tbsp. Grated Fresh Ginger
• 1/2 c. Sesame Oil
• 1 c. Cashews
• 1 c. Chow Mein Noodles
• 1/2 c. Sesame Seeds
• 1 Large Green Pepper
• 1/2 Large Yellow Onion
• 2 c. Carrots (Once Cut)
• 8 oz. Mandarin Orange Slices
• 1 Head Romaine Lettuce
• 2 Heads Red Leaf Lettuce

Part 1; Dressing

If your ginger isn't already grated, grate your ginger into a 16 oz. bowl or shaker. Mince or finely chop your garlic and add to ginger. Add rice vinegar and soy sauce, stir, and let sit for 2 hours. Add sesame oil, shake well and let sit for another 2 hours. Dressing will separate, shake well before serving.

Part 2; Toasting

Pre-heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Spread sesame seeds, cashews, and chow mein noodles on dry cookie sheet. Toast in over for 5-15 minutes, checking regularly. Remove from oven when they are starting to brown. Let cool.

Part 3; Salad

Slice peppers thin and set aside. Slice onions thin, separate rings, and set aside. Slice carrots into spears about 2" long and bite sized and set aside. Drain mandarin oranges and set aside.

Thoroughly wash lettuce and drain. Rip lettuce into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. About half-way through the lettuce, add a layer of carrots, onions, and peppers (about half of each). Finish with lettuce and add remaining peppers, onions, and carrots. Add mandarin orange slices, toasted cashews, toasted chow mein noodles, and toasted sesame seeds. Cover until ready to serve.

Part 4; Serving

Toss salad to mix thoroughly. You can either dress the entire salad before or during tossing, or serve dressing on the side so people can dress their own salads.

Serve as a side dish with your favorite meal. Goes great with Terayaki Chicken, among other things.