It sounds like a wonderful recipe. I just bought some agave nectar and am experimenting with using it, and this sounds like a perfect recipe to sub it for the sugar.

This looks really good. I would love to try it, but does anyone have a different idea for the dressing (for someone who is mayo-phobic)?

Jennifer, you may want to try subbing the mayo with plain yogurt or sour cream (lowfat if you wish) to get you close to the same texture. I think I'd throw some chow mein noodles on top for a little extra crunch...

This kinda reminds me of my default slaw that I've been using for years from Emeril (I know, I know, but he wasn't so bad 10 years ago) - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_12773,00.html. The sesame really brings up the dressing and the addition of some garlic chili adds another great layer.

We just had braised napa cabbage with tilapia for dinner last night. And snow peas too, but a stifry version. I would like to try this salad once I get napa cabbage again. Thanks for the recipe!

Wow, another great way to use cabbage without turning on any heating implements, if you skip the almonds.

Oooh. I may make this to take to a picnic. Lots of vegans will be in attendance so I may try some soy mayonnaise (I know, I know) in this recipe.

I don't think I can get Napa Cabbage in lower Alabama. Would regular cabbage work okay?

This looks absolutely tasty and I will have to give it a try.

Happy 4th July Elise. This salad looks delicious.

Elise, thx for the great recipe... i have decided to prepare this for the july 4 bbq today. I am sure it will be a winner!

Whoa, this looks yummy! I'm putting it on my list. Anything cold and crunchy sounds good these days.

Any for the mayo-phobic, I don't like mayo either but I find these sorts of mayo-soy dressings to be quite good (the vinegar and soy cut much of the mayo-ness for me). I might start out with only 1/2 of mayo and see how that is.

Thanks, Elise. Hope you have a good holiday.

I would not use regular cabbage. I made that mistake once. I make a similar one which is really good. The dressing is oil based. Basically it is a cup of olive oil, 1/3 cup vinegar, dash salt, 1/4 cup sugar and seasoning from 2 packs of ramen noodles (chicken flavor) and then I crush the ramen noodles on top with nappa cabbage, green onion and almonds.

I was just thinking about skipping the mayo altogether to keep it crisp and lighter. No noodles for me, they're empty carbs. everything is already crunchy. Why make a wonderful vegetable dish and then, add them? It's kind of like the artist who never finishes a painting because he needs to keep adding just one more brushstroke to an already perfect painting.

And, because Live Earth Day, 7/7/7 is Saturday, why not toast the almonds in a skillet and save a little energy?

Thanks! I made this yesterday for a little BBQ and it was a huge hit -- as you predicted. I was a bit wary, as I have a go-to asian slaw recipe which is similar, but the dressing is a mirin-and-citrus, rather than a mayo-based dressing. But I'm so glad I branched out and tried this one also! Now I have two "go-to" slaws.

Cheers!

Would this recipe keep if made up ahead of time or does it get soggy? Looks so yummy.

Made this for Fourth of July...not a winner. Although, it looked absolutely beautiful. I used the dressing on part of the cabbage mixture just to see if it went over well....nobody went for seconds and I didn't like it. Maybe I did something wrong? Anyway, for the rest of the cabbage mixture (no dressing on), I added broken ramen noodles and mixed a fast dressing:

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Much better of a hit.

The only other thing I would add, as I wrote, this salad was beautiful...but it sure took a long time to chop everything up...so be sure to do ahead.

Tried this recipe and I used fat-free mayo. It's just as good!! Roasted almond is great but roasted peanut will be good too.

I always toast almonds (and sesame seeds) on top of the stove. Use a no stick skillet and keep the nuts moving. Don't even think about stepping away from the stove. They'll burn in a minute.

Also, I've made this dish before (nearly the same) and you can make it ahead of time, just don't put the dressing on until you're ready to serve. The dressing is better if made ahead.

Thanks. This was delish.

Thanks so much for a great recipe! This salad was spot on. I made it yesterday and we ate the entire salad it was so delicious. My kids, ages 11 and 7 also enjoyed it.

I made this salad for a barbecue...the chopping was SO worth it, this salad was a huge hit. I didn't do anything differently and will certainly make it again. Thanks!

Elly, romaine lettuce would be a better substitute for the napa cabbage. It is closer in texture and doesn't have the strong taste of regular cabbage.

Sounds delicious. I am going to make it for a BBQ tomorrow. I think will add chopped crystalized ginger and mandarin orange segments too. I love those flavors in the other asian salads that I make. Thanks for the recipe.

This was excellent! The amount of chopping is worth it (just don't do it on a night when you're also trying to make an involved main dish!). I used light mayo and cut down on the amount to reduce the fat a bit. Still had plenty of dressing to cover the salad. I halved the recipe and only got about four servings out of it because my husband and I liked it so much and ate such big helpings!

Excellent salad that got lots of compliment. The only thing? If you mix the dressing and the cabbage too early...it gets really soggy. This cabbage doesn't have a lot of strength. But otherwise? Loved it.

Sally

This is by far THE BEST cabbage salad ever. The dressing is so flavorful! I've made it tons of times since you posted. And I just now spent a frantic ten minutes searching for the recipe since it is supposed to be tonights dinner and I could not find my printout this morning :>)

Excellent salad/slaw recipe. I used a daikon radish (milder) and only had sugar snap peas on hand (instead of snow peas). This salad has just moved into our Top 10 rotation. (I keep the mayo limited to 3/4 cup and use a mixture of Hellman's Light and some form of soy mayo to reduce the fat - no one knows the difference because the other flavors pack a flavorful punch.)

I made this yesterday for some friends and it was a huge hit. Thanks for sharing. I didn't really know they would react to an asian slaw but everyone, even the kids, really seemed to like it.