If you are like me then Ramen noodles played an intregal part of your college days. When the vast majority of my budget went towards beer and booze $0.19 packs of ramen was a godsend. Even after culinary school, when I was “paying my dues” in Atlanta, working for barely over minimum wage, ramen played a large part in regular diet. Not only was it cheap, allowing me to hit the bars more often (are you sensing a reoccuring theme here?), but it was pretty tasty, the variations were virtually limitless, and it allowed me to stretch my proteins much further.
Somewhere along the line, I was introduced to the Ramen Noodle Salad, and fell in love with it. Now I could even eat my ramen without cooking them!!! It was great! Since then, I have come across the salad at all sorts of picnics and pot luck dinners. Usually I am underhelmed by the dish and have to admt that I really only like the dish when the noodles have just been added and are still crunchy.
This version adds a bit of flavor to the mix by using green curry paste. Don’t worry, it is now easily found at many grocery stores with a half way decent Asian section. “Thai Kitchen” is the brand I most often come across in regular stores, although if you have a decent Asian market near you, check it out as you can often find it for about half the price of “Thai Kitchen.”
Ramen Noodle Salad
serves 4 as an entree salad or 6-8 as a side dish
1Tbs. green curry paste
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 Tbs. sesame oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 head napa cabbage
4 each green onions
1/2 red bell pepper
4 oz. snow peas
1 can (11oz) mandarin oranges, drained
2 packages ramen noodles, reserve flavoring packet for another use
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
For the dressing combine the first set of ingredients and mix well. Set aside. Core the napa cabbage, cut into thirds, lengthwise and slice thinly. Thinly chop the green onions. Remove seeds from the bell pepper and slice paper thin. Finally remove the strings from the snow peas by snapping off the stem end and pulling it down along the front of the pea, taking the “string” with it. Thinly slice the snow peas. Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Allow the salad to marinate for at least 10-15 minutes. Break up the ramen noodles and toss with the salad along with the oranges and almonds. Serve immediately so that the noodles are still crisp and crunchy.
While I often use this as a vegetarian meal, you can easily add grilled chicken or shrimp to make a heartier salad.