Asian Ramen Coleslaw – An easy side dish for any occasion

This is one dish that I’ve made over and over to serve at parties or take to potlucks, and it’s one dish that I get asked for the recipe all the time. It’s crunchy, light and flavorful that it’s a great side dish to serve with any meal. I’ve tried making it different ways and here is the recipe for Asian Ramen Coleslaw that is my favorite of all the combinations that I’ve made.

Which instant ramen to use?

I’ve tried using different instant ramen flavors and brands for this Asian Ramen Coleslaw recipe, and I’ve found you could use pretty much any chicken flavor ramen for this. But this Creamy Chicken flavor ramen has been the best choice since the flavor isn’t overpowering.

Related article: Hacks for serving instant ramen like a gourmet chef!

Best cabbage for Asian Ramen Coleslaw

Again, I’ve tried different types of cabbage – Green, Savoy, Napa (Japanese pronunciation is “nappa”), cut in different ways. And the winner is: Just the simple green cabbage thinly sliced!

Shredded green cabbage for slaw — Shredding cabbage with a knife. It can be sliced even thinner with a slicer or mandolin

Time-saver tips: Thinly slicing cabbage can be a mind-numbing task especially if you have to make a lot of it. If you are pressed for time, or just want to make this quickly, there are a couple of ways to help speed up the prepping process:

Buy a couple of bags of pre-shredded cabbage for coleslaw in place of one head of cabbage
Use a food slicer, or mandolin, to shred the cabbage (Be careful though…those things can be very sharp!)

Don’t refrigerate too long

You can mix the dressing into the slaw and chill in the refrigerator up to 1 hour to let the dressing flavor soak in. But don’t let it sit in the dressing too long, especially if the cabbage is thinly sliced. The cabbage will wilt and everything will be soggy.

Related article: Love no-mayo, savory coleslaw? Also check out our Okonomiyaki coleslaw recipe!

Asian Ramen Coleslaw Recipe