Chinese Napa Cabbage Salad with Rice Noodles Recipe
This crunchy salad with Napa cabbage and rice noodles is a lighter, salad-style take on Chinese stir-fry dishes. In China, similar salads are often served as cold appetizers before hot courses. It’s fresh, slightly tangy, with delicate noodles and a nutty sesame note – perfect for a summer lunch or as a side to grilled meat.
These chilled salads with cabbage and noodles are common in northern China as small appetizers served before hot wok dishes. They’re often set out in bowls in the middle of the table so everyone can grab a few bites with chopsticks between other courses.
This salad combines the freshness of raw vegetables with the comfort of noodles and a fragrant sesame dressing. It’s inspired by Chinese cold appetizers, but adapted to be an easy, everyday dish that works both as a side and as a light main.
Why this version works
- Very thinly sliced cabbage absorbs the dressing faster while still staying crisp.
- Thoroughly rinsing and draining the noodles keeps the dressing from getting watered down.
- Removing the cucumber seeds reduces excess moisture, so the salad doesn’t end up watery after an hour.
- Adding toasted sesame at the end gives a fresh aroma and a contrast to the soft noodles.
Chef's tips
Don’t skip rinsing the noodles in cold water – it stops the cooking and prevents them from sticking together. If you’re preparing the salad ahead of time, keep the vegetables, noodles, and dressing separate and combine them just before serving for the best crunch.
How to serve
Serve in a large bowl family-style, topped with extra toasted sesame seeds and finely sliced spring onion. It pairs well with grilled chicken, tofu, or simple pan-fried dumplings. For a more filling meal, add strips of baked tofu or leftover roast chicken directly into the salad.
Watch out for
- Don’t leave the noodles in boiling water for too long – after a few minutes they’ll start to fall apart and stick together.
- Don’t cut the cabbage into thick pieces, or the core will stay tough and the leaves will release more water.
- Don’t overdo the salt in the dressing, because light soy sauce is already distinctly salty.
Substitutions
- You can replace rice vinegar with apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar, adding a pinch more sugar.
- Rice vermicelli can be swapped for thin mung bean noodles (cellophane noodles).
- If you don’t have sesame oil, use a neutral oil and increase the amount of toasted sesame seeds.
Ingredients
- Napa cabbage half a medium head, finely shredded - 400 g
- rice noodles - 80 g
- carrot grated on a coarse grater or cut into thin matchsticks - 1 piece
- fresh cucumber cut into thin strips - 0.5 pieces
- spring onion cut into thin slices - 2 pieces
- garlic finely chopped - 1 clove
- rice vinegar can be replaced with light white wine vinegar - 3 tablespoons
- soy sauce - 2 tablespoons
- sesame oil for flavor, can be replaced with rapeseed oil and a teaspoon of tahini - 1.5 tablespoons
- sugar balances the sour taste - 1 teaspoon
- sesame seeds toasted in a dry pan - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Pour boiling water over the rice noodles for 3–4 minutes (or according to the package instructions), until they are soft and translucent, with no chalky center. Drain, rinse with cold water, and leave in a colander until they stop dripping.
- Slice the Napa cabbage in half lengthwise and cut out the tough core. Finely shred the rest into very thin matchstick-wide strips. Transfer to a large bowl and separate the leaves with your fingers until loose and fluffy.
- Peel the carrot and grate it on the large holes of a grater or cut into thin matchsticks. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out the soft, seedy center with a teaspoon, and slice into thin strips. Slice the spring onion thinly.
- Add the carrot, cucumber, and spring onion to the cabbage. If the vegetables are clumped together, gently loosen them with your hand until they fill the bowl loosely, with visible gaps between pieces.
- In a small bowl, mix together the rice vinegar, light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, finely chopped garlic, a pinch of salt, and pepper. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved and the dressing looks evenly cloudy.
- Cut the cooled noodles into 5–7 cm (2–3 inch) pieces with kitchen scissors so they’re easier to eat. Add the noodles to the bowl with the vegetables, separating any clumps with your fingers.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables and noodles. Toss with your hands or two large spoons, lifting from the bottom to the top, until all the cabbage leaves are lightly glossy with no pale, dry patches at the bottom of the bowl.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until they become very fragrant and lightly golden. Immediately remove them from the pan and sprinkle over the top of the salad.
- Let the salad rest for 10–15 minutes at room temperature or in the fridge, until the cabbage softens slightly but still crunches when pressed. Taste before serving and, if needed, add a little extra vinegar, soy sauce, or a pinch of sugar.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I like to make this salad on hot days when I don’t feel like standing over the stove. The combination of tangy dressing, crunchy vegetables, and soft noodles is satisfying but still light. Adjust the vinegar and sugar to your taste – some people prefer it more sour, others a bit sweeter.
