This simple Chinese style sweet and sour salad is an easy salad recipe, with a delicious sweet and sour flavor dressing using sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. A tasty side dish, perfect with BBQ's!

This simple Chinese style sweet and sour salad is an easy salad recipe, with a delicious sweet and sour flavor dressing using sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. A tasty side dish, perfect with BBQ's!

Everybody loves Sweet and Sour sauce!
So I thought I would make up a simple salad using a few ingredients to show you how versatile this salad can be. Sure, you can swap the tomatoes & cucumbers for say bean sprouts, Chinese cabbage, and any other salad vegetables you love.

The main thing is to remember that yin and yang! So here we have sweet and sour (opposites), and crunchy and soft, (cucumbers & cashews with soft tomatoes).
Stick to the yin and yang and you will get a perfect combination of texture and taste.

Use whatever salad you like, and make up the simple dressing and hey presto! Your salad will taste like Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce.

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The measures I give below are for an 'average' balance of sweet and sour. However, if you like your salad a little sweeter, add more sugar. A little more sour...then add more vinegar. The main thing is to keep trying the dressing as you make it up.

Ingredients

Salad of your choice. I chose sliced cucumber and tomatoes.
A handful of unsalted cashew nuts (I have also used salted cashews, just go less on the salt below)

The dressing

1 Tablespoon Sesame oil
1 Tablespoon Tomato puree
½ cup / 120 ml Rice Wine vinegar  **** if you can't get that, use white wine vinegar and add 1 teaspoon of Dry Sherry.
⅓ cup / 65 g regular sugar
Salt & Pepper to your taste.

Instructions

1. Mix the above ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake. Make sure the sugar has dissolved.
Taste the dressing and add more sugar or vinegar to suit your taste.
2. Slice your salad ingredients etc.
3. Pour over the salad and mix in well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Please note, you may not need to use all of the dressing, depending on how much salad you have used. If you have some leftover, place in a jar or air-tight container in the fridge for 1 week maximum, or add some cornstarch to it and there you can make a hot sweet, and sour sauce to go with your stir fry!

4. In a small pan, dry toast (so do not add any oil) the cashew nuts.

Toss them so they brown on both sides, then add to the salad and there you have a simple, quick delicious Sweet and sour-tasting salad!

Simple Chinese Style Sweet n Sour Salad, showing cashew nuts pan roasted

You can also sprinkle some chopped cilantro/coriander when serving.

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other ingredients? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

This simple Chinese style sweet and sour salad is an easy salad recipe, with a delicious sweet and sour flavor dressing using sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. A tasty side dish, perfect with BBQ's!

Recipe Card

Simple Chinese Style Sweet n Sour Salad

Simple Chinese Style Sweet and Sour Salad

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

This simple Chinese style sweet and sour salad is an easy salad recipe, with a delicious sweet and sour flavor dressing using sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. A tasty side dish, perfect with BBQ's!

Ingredients

  • Salad of your choice. I chose sliced cucumber and tomatoes.
  • A handful of unsalted cashew nuts (I have also used salted cashews, just go less on the salt below)

The dressing:

  • 1 Tablespoon Sesame oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Tomato puree
  • ½ cup / 120 ml Rice Wine vinegar **** if you can't get that, use white wine vinegar and add 1 teaspoon of Dry Sherry.
  • ⅓ cup / 65 g regular sugar
  • Salt & Pepper to your taste.

Instructions

  1. Mix the above ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake. Make sure the sugar has dissolved. Taste the dressing and add more sugar or vinegar to suit your taste.
  2. Slice your salad ingredients etc.
  3. Pour over the salad and mix in well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  4. In a small pan, dry toast (so do not add any oil) the cashew nuts. Toss them so they brown on both sides, then add to the salad and there you have a simple, quick delicious Sweet n sour tasting salad!
  5. You can also sprinkle some chopped cilantro / coriander when serving.

Notes

Please note, you may not need to use all of the dressing, depending on how much salad you have used. If you have some left over, place in a jar or air tight container in the fridge for 1 week maximum, or add some cornstarch to it and there you can make a hot sweet and sour sauce to go with your stir fry!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 96mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate

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2 thoughts shared

  1. Comment author image

    Linda Cantrell

    says:

    I make a dressing that is similar to this one and it’s also good on all kinds of salads. I use the same ingredients but I add Granulated garlic, red pepper flakes (to taste), Dried cilantro, and I use Splenda instead of sugar. It’s got a little kick but it’s really good especially with jicama sticks (thinly sliced), tomatoes (I like to mix red and yellow cherry tomatoes that have been halved), thinly sliced red onions and english cucumber slices. It’s really good.

    1. Hi Linda, thanks for your ideas and suggestions. It certainly is a salad where you can add extras or your favourites too, and is a good ‘base’ dressing for everyone to explore. I like it you add a kick! i often do to my dressings, and that’s what I love about these types of recipes, they are great for building blocks if you want to add more, or great just as they are! thanks so much for your ideas, I always enjoy hearing what others do!