Crunchy Asian Sesame Salad

Every time I make this Crunchy Asian Sesame Salad, I say to myself, “Self, why don’t you make this more often?!”. This salad is quite possibly my favourite green salad but since picking a favourite recipe is like picking a favourite child I remain firmly non-committal on the topic.

What I really love about this Crunchy Asian Sesame Salad is that it’s perfect as a side with so much. It’s great with steak or fish, and I love it all on it’s own for lunch!

Crunchy Asian Sesame Salad

Two large heads of green leaf lettuce (or one green/one red — you’re the boss)
1 package ramen noodles
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/3 cup cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp soya sauce
1/3 cup canola oil

About an hour ahead of putting salad together, whisk sugar, vinegar, soya sauce and oil together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, remove from heat and let cool. In the meantime, in a dry stainless steel pan roast sesame seeds, broken up ramen noodles (uncooked and discard flavouring) and sesame seeds over medium-heat, tossing constantly until lightly toasted. Remove from heat and let cool. Wash and spin leaf lettuce very dry. Toss lettuce and dressing together and sprinkle with crunchy mixture. Serve immediately.

Pleasantville Note: The drier your lettuce is the better. Any salad dressing you toss with it will stick to the leaves better. This makes enough for eight. Normally what I do is spread it over two days, dividing the dressing in half and setting aside for our next meal.