Another one of Aunt Pat’s legacies lives on . . . in her amazing Chinese salad recipe!

This is one of the recipe gems that Aunt Pat passed along to me. The salad is a staple at our annual Canada Day party – and it is the ONLY thing we never have any leftovers of. A couple of things to note before you get started: it tastes EVEN better the next day so feel free to make it the day before it’s needed; and it makes a lot – enough to feed a crowd so don’t feel like you need to double it unless you are feeding an actual army.

Ingredients:

1 shredded Napa cabbage (I find it’s just easier to slice it into tiny pieces)
1 (or 2) bunch(es) green onions, chopped (I use 2)
2 pkgs. instant oriental noodles plus soup mix – such as Ramen or Mr. Noodle (I usually use veggie flavoured but have made do with chicken in the past)
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/4 c. shell-free sunflower seeds
1/3 c. butter

Place sliced cabbage and green onions together in a large bowl. Then pour noodles from soup mixes into a separate bowl and gently break them apart with a wooden spoon. Melt the butter over a low heat in a frying pan and add the noodles, nuts and seeds. Set this aside to cool.

Dressing:

1 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. white vinegar
2/3 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
Seasoning packages from the noodles

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir well to ensure sugar dissolves. Add the cooked noodle and nut mixture to the cabbage and onion. Pour dressing over top and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to eat.