Soup or Salad?

Back when I was in college I got a salad recipe that I loved. The recipe was for Oriental Coleslaw made from Ramen noodles. It was crunchy, healthy, and absolutely yummy. Over the years I lost the recipe and could not remember how the salad was made. As Adolfo and I packed up the kitchen when leaving Austin, I found an old piece of browned paper with the recipe on it!! Yeah! I decided to bring the recipe with us and surprise Adolfo with something new.

Adolfo is a big fan of Ramen soups. When I asked him to get a bunch of Ramen soup packages at the grocery store, he happily took off and brought back every flavor he could find. I was sure he would be pleased with the coleslaw recipe, too.

With renewed excitement I started the salad. I cut up the cabbage and green onions, poured in the almonds and sesame seeds, and began the dressing. Oh no, I didn’t have Accent or rice vinegar. Oh well, I substituted them with a bunch of different spices and Balsamic vinegar. Finally, I took out the Ramen noodles and started breaking them into the salad. Adolfo’s eyes grew big as he watched me shred his beloved noodles.

“What are you doing with those noodles?” He asked in an alarmed tone.
“I’m making a salad,” I responded.
“That’s disgusting! You’re wasting perfectly good noodles!” Adolfo couldn’t conceive of the idea that I was removing the noodles from the spice packet he calls “chemical goodness.”

I calmly continued with my salad, explaining that if he didn’t like it, I would buy him more Ramen noodles for soup. I had him watch as I put the “chemical goodness” in the pantry for future use. And I promised that if he found the salad to be unpalatable, I would make him soup tonight.

Adolfo was not happy when I sat the salad before him. He lectured me a bit on how I could have used something other than Ramen noodles to create a crunchy effect. I simply listened and watched him eat. He ate, but refused to admit that he liked the salad. When he finished, though, he asked for more.

“There’s more, but I think I’ll have it.” I answered to Adolfo’s surprise.
“Should I make this recipe again?” I asked.
Sheepishly, Adolfo responded, “Yes.”

I guess the salad was not too sacrilegious.

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Oriental Coleslaw
by Betty Collier, North County Church of the Brethren

1 head of cabbage
1 small bag slivered almonds
1 small bag sesame seeds
8 green onions chopped
2 packages Ramen noodles

Dressing
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup salad oil
2 teaspoons Accent
6 tablespoons rice vinegar

Brown almonds and sesame seeds in small amount of oil. Watch carefully—they burn quickly.
Mix cabbage, onions, noodles, seeds, and almonds just before serving as they’ll get soggy.
Pour dressing over coleslaw.
Enjoy!


Recipe makes at least 8 servings.