Chinese Cabbage Salad Recipe From California Chicken Cafe
Danny Casgrain
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
This was good!!! I needed a last minute recipe with items I already had on hand. No cabbage, but it was still great. And the dressing is really good. I did diced chicken instead of shredded, still good. Thanks! This is a keeper.
This salad is on repeat in my home! I use grilled chicken instead of shredded. Very simple and the dressing is so good. I keep the dressing in the fridge and put it on everything. Thanks Jenn, another favorite!
The hero of this Chinese Chicken Salad is the Asian Dressing and crunchy noodles. It can make any bowl of fresh greens devilishly moreish! Made with cabbage, carrots, green onions and chicken, finished with sesame seeds, this is terrific for packed lunches as it keeps well for days!
Love reciepe. I just added a few items to help use up some food in house. Water chestnuts, frozen peas, and I toasted almonds in butter adding salt till it brought the sweetness out. I also added mandrine oranges that is such a great add.
I love your recipes I have made this slaw cold and as a hot dish with ramen noodles and broccoli,sliced colored peppers,water chestnuts,in addition to the slaw ingredients.Ponzu sauce or housing works,or even peanut tsang.Yummy girl anyway you have it ,it disappears!!
I use Rice Noodles and drop them in oil until in they puff up. This is much better than La Choy canned noodles. This is a fan favorite. You can also substitute shredded iceberg lettuce for cabbage
My friends loved this salad. It was the perfect light meal before our decadent dessert! Family consumed the leftovers the next day, which I think tasted better since the flavors had time to meld.
Going to Tao Tao Restaurant was always a treat reserved for a special night with my grandma. As a child, I remember going in the back entrance and waiting while the pretty ladies in red satin dresses would seat us. I remember the rocks and plants by the back door, and the tiny Chinese sculpture in the small alcove, and the shiny enameled screens with inlays of pheasants embroidered in silk. But more than anything, I remember the first salad I ever fell in love with.
In a large bowl, toss the shredded lettuce, chopped cilantro (yes, the whole bunch), scallions, sesame seeds and cashews together. Top with the chopped cooling (but still warm) chicken and the pile of white crunchy cellophane noodles.
I grew up going to Tao Tao with my Grandparents for special occasions. Getting all dressed up and having our whole family seated in the back corner table. When I was a child we were always served by Frank (the current owner). My family moved away from the Bay Area when I was 11. When my mom has business in Sunnyvale she stops by Tao Tao to picks me up a Large Shredded Chicken Salad to bring home to Portland.
Yep, this is the real deal! I made this over the weekend and my husband proclaimed it delicious and a huge success. Even the picky 12 yr old loved it! We live in OR now so we miss Tao Tao a lot. Thanks for all the work figuring this one out!
I too a long time ago (maybe 30 years ago), use to go to Tao Tao and always enter through the back door (because the parking lot was there and it was convenient as well), and you described the back entrance so elegantly and to a tee!.
I lived in the area in the early 90s. I love the chicken salad and Tao Tao beef!!! I also remember the back door entrance, which I believe was the only entrance for a while. The town center was being remodeled so the front was blocked off for construction. We ate there about once a week. Moved back to Dallas in 94 and could not find anything close to the chicken salad!! Thank you for sharing the fruits of your labor in reproducing it!!! I have visited the bay area many times since returning to Dallas and EVERY time found a way to go to TaoTao I am going to make it TODAY.
LOVE Tao Tao. I live in Texas now and my mom and I were lamenting on how much we miss the Chinese Chicken Salad. My mom owned Travel Advisors at Town and Country we ate at Tao Tao often. I cannot wait to try this!!!
So excited to finally find a recipe for this salad! I have tried to re create this for years now, since moving away from California, most attempts have turned out okay, but never as fabulous as the original.
Cannot wait to try it. Thank you Tracy!
I tested the beef with both oyster sauce and hoisin. I found the oyster to be too salty. The hoisin was much better. I used peanut oil, but next time I will try sesame oil, or maybe a combo of both. Good luck and tell me if you like it.
Anybody have a Tao Tao beef recipe? The one I tried with both oyster and housin and another attempt with housin only, did not taste like TT beef. It looked like it, but did not taste like the original TT beef ?
If you get a chance, try tai-wee wonton restaurant in San Jose (near tradezone area) there wonton soup is pretty good. I make my own won tons and freeze but they also sell fresh wontons so you can just throw into your own chicken broth and enjoy a warm hearty goodness at home ?
I just discovered velveting chicken with egg white, cornstarch, rice wine and salt. I tried it last week and the difference was amazing!! The chicken was so tender and moist, even when microwaving or skillet-heating leftovers the next day. I read where you can also do it with pork, beef and even shrimp. Here is a site that gives great instructions. -velveting-101-introduction-water-velveting.html
Thank goodness someone figured this recipe out!! My favorite Chinese restaurant where I used to live (on the other coast) had this salad and I honestly have contemplated a vacation back there in part to get this darn salad. The toasted sesame oil is what I was not getting right in the many times I tried to replicate it. Thank you so so much!!
Use sesame oil in won ton soup, (Asian) chicken and corn soup, egg drop soup, and many Chinese soups and even sesame cookies. Sesame chicken, sesame noodles. Be adventurous and try sesame homemade ice cream ?
I did a couple of things here that I would normally not do. I cooked the eggs, the chicken and the potatoes sous vide. The chicken was leftover from dinner the night before and the motivation for making this salad really. I also shot it overexposed on purpose. I like that kind of lighting for a crisp and sunny morning, the bloody mary type of morning. Anyways, this is a super simple salad to make, and the sous vide step is not a requirement, the ingredient list is super flexible too so use it as a reference or not. Ok, here we go:
The chicken. Salt it generously and let it rest for about 20 mins or less salt but let it cure overnight in the fridge. To cook it, easy, you can poach it, grill it, saut it. As long as the inner temperature reaches 62C degrees, you should be good. If you are cooking it sous vide. 40 mins at 62C should get you there. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature or colder. I like it cold from the fridge. Cut it into slices.
Mixing the salad. In a big bowl, add the pickle slices, the tomato wedges, the potato wedges, the julienned carrot. Add the mayo and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Using your hands, mix carefully and set aside.
For plating. Place the extra pickle slices and whole cabbage leaves on your plate. Again, using your hands, carefully scoop a serving of salad and place it in the centre each dish. I added the eggs last, but obviously that can be incorporated into the mixing step as well. Happy Sunday!
Crunchy, salty, sweet, and vinegary, this is more of a salad than a slaw. Massaging the cabbage with salt not only seasons it, but also softens the leaves. Pistachios tossed with orange zest and sugar bring an unexpected floral note to the dish. This recipe is from Drifters Wife in Portland, ME, our No. 9 Best New Restaurant 2018.
Toss pistachios and 1 tsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add thyme, orange zest, and sugar and toss to combine. Let cool; discard thyme sprigs.
Whisk vinegar, honey, and tsp. pepper in a small bowl to combine; season with a pinch of salt. Drizzle over cabbage and add parsley, chives, 3 oz. Parmesan, cup pistachios, and 2 Tbsp. oil. Toss to combine, then taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- WONTON STRIPS: Use store-bought or make your own. Purchase square wonton sheets, defrost according to package directions. Cut into thin strips and fry in hot oil for about a 30-60 seconds or until lightly golden. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Let cool before using in salad.
- GRILLED CHICKEN: Add 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, tsp red pepper flakes, tsp garlic powder, and tsp sesame oil in a bowl. Add the chicken and let marinate for 5-60 minutes. Grill chicken for 5-6 mins per side or until cooked through. Slice or dice and use.