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    Home » Course » Salad

    Nutty Napa Cabbage and Konbu Salad

    November 1, 2023 by Marc Matsumoto 1 Comment

    This delicious autumn salad pairs sweet and tender napa cabbage with nutty toasted sesame oil and umami rich salted konbu.

    Late fall through early winter is the season for Napa cabbage, and the heads plump up with thick white stems that are sweet and surprisingly tender. It's the best season to make kimchi, but this Asian cabbage is also delicious cooked or even served raw. 

    This easy salad falls somewhere between a quick pickle and fresh salad, with the leaves lightly salted to extract excess water while leaving them crisp and tender. The "dressing" is toasted sesame oil seasoned with shio konbu (salted kelp), which imparts a rich, nutty flavor and intense umami that makes the cabbage taste even sweeter. 

    If you want to brighten it up, try adding some citrus zest. I used a Microplane to zest a sudachi, but any fragrant citrus like yuzu or Meyer lemon will work. You could also squeeze in some of the juice to make this even more light and refreshing. 

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      5 from 1 vote

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    1. Kathy Stroup says

      November 02, 2023 at 8:37 am

      5 stars
      I love your knife work on this. I never know what to do with Napa. It always comes out wrong somehow. Too long and stringy, or too thick and crunchy. This looks like the perfect way to solve my problem! I'll be on the lookout for some Napa to try this out!

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    I started No Recipes back in 2007 as a place to share original dishes I'd created with friends. It's since evolved into something much bigger than I could have imagined, but as it grew, the focus shifted from inventing dishes to improving classics. In the spirit of how No Recipes began, I'm bringing back my weekly original recipes for all of my supporters and friends!

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