This Asian-style salad combines glass noodles with fresh herbs, vegetables and shredded chicken with a hoisin dressing that’s slightly creamy so it clings nicely to the slippery noodles. The lime cashew crumble really makes this, so don’t skip it!
Terrific no-cook meal for hot summer nights. Skip the chicken to turn it into a fabulous starch + veg side for Asian meals. Serves 3 to 4 as a meal, 5 to 6 as a side. More meal-size salads here!
PREPARATION TIME
Ingredients
GLASS NOODLE SALAD:
100 g / 3.5 oz bean thread vermicelli noodles / cellophane noodles (Note 1)
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 1/2 store bought roast chicken) (Note 2)
2 packed cups (180g) green cabbage, finely sliced
1 cucumber , cut in half, sliced 3mm / 1/8″ thick on the diagonal
1 carrot , peeled then julienned
2 green onion stems , finely sliced on a diagonal
1 cup lightly packed coriander/cilantro leaves
1 cup lightly packed mint leaves
LIME CASHEW CRUMBLE:
1 cup unsalted roasted cashew nuts , roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp lime zest
2 tsp lime juice
3/4 tsp caster sugar / superfine sugar (sub ordinary / granulated)
1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
CREAMY HOISIN DRESSING:
3 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise (or other mayo) (Note 3)
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
3/4 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder (Note 4)
Instructions
Recipe Notes:
Ignore packet if it says to soak in cold water. It takes “forever” / sometimes just doesn’t work at all.
2. Chicken – Or poach your own, or use leftover cooked chicken or other proteins. To make this a side salad, skip the chicken and increase the vegetables.
3. Kewpie is a Japanese brand of mayonnaise that’s widely available these days, sold in the Asian section of grocery stores. It’s such a small amount it’s fine to substitute with another mayo. To make a mayo-free version, substitute with more canola oil. Tahini would also work as a thickener and double up on lovely sesame flavour.
4. Chinese five spice is a spice blend available at everyday grocery stores. It’s a spice mix made with star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, fennel and Sichuan pepper than is used widely in Chinese cooking as well as other Asian cuisines such as Vietnamese.
Storage: Keep the lime cashew crumble and dressing separate from the salad. Toss just prior to serving. Once dressed, best consumed that day. Lime cashew crumble will keep for a few days but lime flavour fades so best to make fresh. Dressing will keep for 3 days.
Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings. 178 calories per serving is attributable to the cashews. I cannot recommend skipping it (because it’s SO GOOD!) but if you are really counting calories then it’s an option….. Remember, this is for a relatively generous serving and it’s for a complete meal that is satisfying!
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
