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Asian Chicken Salad with Green Onion-Sesame Dressing

(recipe, Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart)

Introduction

This is a refreshing, not-too-assertive cabbage and cellophane noodle—based salad. Cellophane noodles (also known as Chinese vermicelli and bean threads) are thin, opaque noodles sold in dried bundles. When soaked they become translucent. They have little taste of their own, but soak up the delicious flavors of the dressing.

Ingredients

    Salad
    1. 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
    2. 3 green onions
    3. 2 quarter-size slices unpeeled fresh ginger
    4. 2 large garlic cloves
    5. ½ head green cabbage (about 1 pound)
    6. 2 1.75 oz. bunches cellophane noodles, soaked in hot water 15 minutes, drained, and quartered like a pizza
    7. 1 large carrot
    8. ½ large cucumber (about 6 ounces)
    9. 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, minced
    10. ½ Roast Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Fresh Rosemary, skinned, boned, and shredded
    11. Freshly ground pepper to taste
    Dressing
    1. 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
    2. 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
    3. ½ tsp. granulated sugar
    4. 2 tsp. Asian sesame oil
    5. ¼ cup vegetable oil
    6. ½ cup raw sesame seeds

    Steps

    1. To make the dressing: Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and vegetable oil in a small bowl and whisk together. Put the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring, until lightly browned but not burned. Scrape the seeds into the dressing.
    2. Thinly slice the white and light green parts of the green onions, and mince the green tops. Mince the ginger and garlic, and shred the cabbage. Peel and shred the carrot, and peel, quarter lengthwise, seed, and thinly slice the cucumber. Mince the cilantro.
    3. In a 12-inch sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and sauté the white and light green parts of the green onions, the ginger, and garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the cabbage, tossing and stirring to brighten its color and wilt it slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the cellophane noodles, toss well, and turn out into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Toss, add the dressing, toss again, and serve.