Asian Cabbage Salad with 3-Ingredient Miso Dressing

Whenever we have a BBQ cookout, Mr JOC would put on his commodore hat and take charge of the grill. This is the time he shines and his meat dishes like smoked chicken wings and baby back ribs would get all the attention. While I enjoy taking the sidelines, I make it a point to put out a few sides that will draw equal love from everyone at the table. One of them that truly lives up to the spotlight is this gorgeous Asian Cabbage Salad.

Loaded with texture and fresh bright flavors, it has become the standout dish that everyone talks about. The colors are so vibrant that you naturally want to dig your spoon in it. Give it a try, and it might well be your next signature slaw.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Refreshing, healthy, and mood-lifting. Its bright, bracing freshness will brighten up any meal and your mood. The big plus: it’s rich in fiber, minerals, and protein (thanks to edamame)!
• A perfect partner for a great variety of dishes. You can serve this cabbage salad as a side dish to complement a cookout spread or tuck it into a pulled pork sandwich, or layer it over your salmon burger or top it over your cold noodle.
• Holds up well and is fantastic for all seasons. Prep ahead and enjoy a good salad for a week. Since the ingredients are available year-round, you can make it anytime of year too.

Ingredients for Asian Cabbage Salad

• Cabbage — You’ll need roughly half a small head of cabbage (or a quarter if it’s a medium head). I use both green and red cabbage for color.
• Carrots — I always keep whole carrots in my fridge for regular Japanese cooking, so I shred them myself. They look and taste fresher than pre-shed carrots sold in a bag.
• Shelled edamame — You can use a bag/container of cooked, shelled edamame, or you can cook frozen or fresh edamame yourself and shell them. Just ½ cup of these soybeans a day punches up the vitamin and mineral content of the diet needed by our bodies!
• Fresh cilantro or green onion — Adds color, zippy flavor, and freshness!
• Nuts — Add crunch and dimension to salads! I used salted peanuts today, but you can use slivered or sliced almonds, or any type of nuts or seeds like sunflower seeds, which I love.
• 3-Ingredient Miso Dressing – Miso, neutral-flavored oil, and rice vinegar.

Substitution Tips and Variation

Don’t feel restricted to use the exact same ingredients I listed above. For vegetables, you can just use green cabbage or napa cabbage, broccoli, bell pepper, snap peas, green beans, or asparagus.

Tip: If you switch things up, consider the colors and textures.

How to Make the Best Asian Cabbage Salad

1. Make the 3-ingredient miso dressing by combining the ingredients.
2. Shred the cabbages and carrots into long, thin strips and finely chop cilantro leaves.
3. Right before serving, toss all the ingredients together with the dressing.

Recipe Tips and Techniques

• Cut the salad ingredients into similar shapes and lengths. Imagine cabbages are thinly shredded, but carrots are sliced into round coins. When you scoop or pick up the salad with a fork, the carrot coins will most likely fall off as they are not incorporated well into the other ingredients.
• Fresh veggies VS coleslaw mix. If you’re really in a hurry, you can use a bag of coleslaw mix but you will not get the maximum freshness.
• Add the dressing 10 minutes before serving. To keep everything vibrant and fresh, pour the salad dressings before serving and mix at the table. Keep the salad and dressing chilled for the best taste.

Storage Tips

• To Make Ahead: Cut all the vegetables, cover them with plastic (or place them in an airtight container), and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. You can also prepare the miso dressing, keep it in a jar, and store it in the refrigerator. If the oil has solidified, take out the dressing 30 minutes in advance.
• To Store Leftovers: Place the Asian cabbage salad in an airtight storage container and store it in the refrigerator. If dressed already, the salad lasts for a day (if longer, it gets wilted). If not dressed yet, it can last a bit longer. I recommend keeping the salad and dressing separately and mixing the amount you consume.

Craft Miso Nama Koji by Hikari Miso

For the miso dressing, I used CRAFT MISO NAMA-KOJI by Hikari Miso.

Unlike ordinary miso, this miso has a fresh fruity taste! It’s less salty (25% less than the other miso products) and has a large amount of koji. Because of that, it’s naturally sweet, juicy, and soft. I serve this miso in a small bowl with vegetable sticks (cucumber, carrot, celery, etc) and my kids enjoy them as a snack.

I find this miso the perfect choice for making a quick dressing. Just mix 3 ingredients: CRAFT MISO, neutral-flavored oil like avocado oil, and rice vinegar. Voila! It’s so flavorful and has such a complex taste that no one would guess that it takes only 3 ingredients to make.

This miso is vegan and gluten-free. You can purchase it from Japanese grocery stores and some Asian grocery stores.

Substitutions: If you can’t find CRAFT MISO, use your favorite miso and add a little bit of sugar as a quick substitution.

What to Serve with Asian Cabbage Salad

• Chicken – Chicken Katsu, Teriyaki Chicken, and Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs.
• Pork – BBQ Pork Belly, Ginger Pork, Instant Sticky Asian Ribs, and Teriyaki Pork.
• Beef – Santa Maria Tri Tip, Smoked Beef Ribs, Roast Beef with Japanese-style Soy Sauce Gravy, and Smoked Wagyu Brisket.
• Shrimp – Coconut Shrimp, Ebi Katsu (Shrimp Cutlet), and Grilled Shrimp.
• Salmon – Miso Salmon, Teriyaki Salmon, and Crispy Salmon Nuggets.
• Tofu – Pan-Fried Teriyaki Tofu.
• Rice – Ginger Rice or Garlic Fried Rice would be a nice complementary dish.

Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe

• Cabbage slicer – One of my favorite tools! My mom first introduced this to me and I have since been using it to make shredded cabbage to serve with Tonkatsu, Chicken Katsu, and Japanese Croquettes (Korokke). It shreds the cabbage into super fine strips—like fluffy shreds! If you prefer to taste the crunch, I recommend slicing the cabbage on your own to your preferred thickness.
• 8-oz Mason Jar and plastic lid – I keep a bunch of these glass jars in my kitchen for mixing salad dressings and sauces. We can keep the leftovers in the jar and store them nice and clean in the refrigerator.

Leave us a comment below if you tried this Asian Cabbage Salad recipe, and let me know how you like it!

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