I am addicted to this salad. It is so simple, but amazing! We have all had some version of this salad at some point in our lives. When I served it at a luncheon I hosted a few weeks ago, someone exclaimed, "Oh, a Dump Salad! I would love the recipe!"
Dump Salad?!?!? Never heard it called that before, but the next thing I knew I was making copies of the recipe for almost everyone at the lunch. I think they were surprised to see how easy and simple the recipe is. I began to get a few skeptical looks...people wondering if I was doing the cut-throat recipe copy. You know, where you compliment a chef on their dish and ask for the recipe. The chef passes along the recipe to you, but your version never comes out quite right. You don't realize this, but a crucial ingredient or preparation step has purposely been left out of your copy of the recipe. "No dear, I do not use brown sugar in the crumble on the coffee cake. My secret is cinnamon...shhh...don't tell anyone." This way, your dish will never be as good as the original. That leaves the (clearly insecure and slightly deranged) original chef feeling very superior that no one can replicate his or her "signature" dish.
This is not fiction. I swear to you, this is true. It happened to my friend Lisa*. Lisa wanted Aimee's* amazing Streudel recipe. Aimee made excuses for years not to give anyone the recipe. When Lisa finally got Aimee to give her the recipe, she rushed home to make it. Guess what? It was awful. Aimee swore the recipe was exactly the recipe as she made it. Lisa was suspicious, so she took the recipe to another friend, who happened to own a bakery. The master baker figured out that Aimee left out the measurements of the baking dish needed for this recipe. The proper size and shape pan is crucial to the texture and final result of this recipe.
I think Aimee and Lisa are still friendly, but I doubt they have dinner parties together anymore, or even go out to dinner together anymore.
The moral of the story is that other than the formula for Coca-Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken, there are no top secret recipes anymore.
* Names have been changed to protect the guilty.
Ingredients:
• 1 pkg. Ramen noodles
• 1 # chopped cabbage
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
• 1/3 c. salted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 2 T. rice wine vinegar
• 2 T. sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Crumble 1 pkg. noodles. Set aside seasoning packet.
2. Place noodles on a baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. In a lage bowl combine cabbage, onion, sunflower seeds and toasted ramen
noodles.
4. In a small bowl, combine canola oil, rice vinegar, sugar and seasoning packet.
Add to cabbage mixture and toss.
5. Let salad chill for one hour before serving.