Potluck Cabbage Salad

Author Notes

Looking back on my childhood in Southern California, it seems like my family went to potlucks almost every weekend. My Dad is third generation Japanese-American from Hawaii, and I grew up in a large community of Japanese-Americans from Hawaii who had moved to the mainland for better job opportunities.

As much as I loved seeing my aunties and uncles (some biological, most not), the little foodie in me loved the food most: Kalua pork slow roasted in ti leaves, fried wontons with cream cheese filling, Hawaiian macaroni salad, mounds of white rice, intricate rainbow-layered jello, and always, a ramen cabbage salad. I never minded eating vegetables if this was the salad! I haven't had it in years, but I recently remembered it and have been craving it ever since.

The original recipe calls for a bag of coleslaw mix, a package of top ramen (including the soup packet) and a lot of sugar in the dressing. Taking the same basic idea (minus the ramen but with no shortage of crunch), I've re-created this classic potluck dish for modern gatherings. It requires a bit more work, but you get a lot in return: An actual healthy and delicious salad that's still ridiculously easy and quick. The next time you find yourself going down a rabbit hole on Pinterest or Google scrambling to find a side dish to bring to your next community gathering, try this one. I kid you not, there's something about this salad that will have everyone asking you for the recipe! —Kristin Eriko Posner