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.
This site contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, check Privacy Policy.
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!

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!

Recipe Card

Simple Chinese Style Sweet and Sour Salad
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
- 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.
- Slice your salad ingredients etc.
- Pour over the salad and mix in well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- 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!
- 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!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Large Stoneware Salad Serving Bowl, 78oz/11inch Embossed Multicolor Mexican Floral Design, with 2 Bamboo Salad Hands
-
KooK Double Wall Serving Bowl - 11 Inch Hammered Style - Stainless Steel (Soup, Cooked Food, Salads, Fruit)
-
Annovero Cereal Bowls – Set of 6 Porcelain Bowls for Soup, Salad, Rice, or Pasta, 6.25 Inch Diameter, 23 Fluid Ounce (2.75 Cup) Capacity
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 96mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Delicious Salad Ideas
Here's a selection of easy and delicious salad recipes, perfect for lunch, dinner, parties or indeed anytime!
Pasta Party Salad! It's certainly popular at party time!
Bacon and Tomato Macaroni Salad, an easy pasta salad recipe using bacon, tomato, celery and macaroni with a simple mayonnaise dressing. An ideal pasta side dish.
Delicious cheddar and chive egg salad is a great flavor combination, creamy, cheesy, with egg combined to make a great-tasting salad to eat on its own or in a sandwich.
Creamy Egg and Potato Salad, buttery baby potatoes and egg combined in a creamy mayonnaise and pickle sauce, great tasting and popular at potlucks and parties
Cauliflower and Pea Salad, a delicious popular creamy salad, ideal for a picnic or side dish to any meal. Very easy recipe with a homemade dressing sauce.
A delicious seafood cocktail sauce, mild yet tangy, the perfect accompaniment to prawns, lobster, and ideal for serving as a dipping sauce or to add to a prawn cocktail.
Avocado Egg Salad is a wonderfully easy recipe and very quick to make. Serve as a salad in a bowl or with some crusty bread warm from the oven. Delicious! Great for brunch, lunch or supper or party food!
Goat's Cheese Salad with warm Herb and Walnut Vinaigrette is a wonderful fresh tasting salad and easy to make. Delicious served with some warm bread fresh from the oven too!
Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad is an easy recipe. Loaded with pieces of tender chicken, cranberries, crunchy pecans, and sweet apples. It’s great as a sandwich, as a salad, on crackers, and fantastic for parties and potlucks.
Chicken Caesar Salad is a refreshing and wonderful tasting dish, made from scratch and easy too! Options for low calorie if you prefer.
Strawberry and Spinach Salad with a delicious poppyseed dressing is to die for! Great for parties, BBQ's and as a side dish for lunch or dinner
The Best Easy Cucumber Salad. Great Flavors and always a hit! Very refreshing taste and crunch with a sweet and sour pickled juice
Simple Refreshing Salad. Simple ingredients using apple, cucumber, and tomato combined with a lovely easy yogurt dressing makes for a deliciously refreshing salad.
Honey Mustard Chicken Pasta Salad.
A delicious, easy chicken salad with an easy honey mustard dressing. Great for using leftover chicken. Serve as a lunch or dinner, alongside a buffet or BBQ.
Easy Egg and Potato Salad, a delicious creamy salad using eggs, potatoes, celery, onion mustard and mayonnaise. Ideal for potlucks, BBQ's and parties!
Corn and Cucumber Picnic Salad. A very simple yet great tasting salad and perfect for the holidays!
Refreshing Spinach & Grape Salad with a delicious dressing! A wonderful tasting salad high in Vitamins and Minerals. Options to also add Apple and Bacon. Always a nice combination!
Best Ever Pico De Gallo, Salsa Fresca, a delicious Mexican salsa, quick and easy to make with refreshing flavors of lime, jalapenos, tomatoes, and cilantro. Absolutely delicious!
Homemade Creamy Coleslaw, a delicious low-fat salad option to a popular side dish, using fresh ingredients. Ideal for BBQ's, parties and burgers!
Bill's Chicken Salad is a great family recipe, very easy to make and great tasting. Serve in lettuce wraps, sandwiches, on it's own, the sky's the limit!
Tasty Macaroni Ham Salad.
A simple and delicious recipe for macaroni ham salad, quick and easy to make, ideal as a side dish with a BBQ or main meal. Creamy, full of flavor and easily transportable for picnics too!
Deluxe Chicken Salad Wraps. These little wraps are great for parties, lunches, suppers, or any time! It's a great way to use up left over chicken (or turkey), and the recipe is nice and easy, with no fuss. Delicious!
Bacon and Asparagus Pasta Salad is a lovely simple dish, served warm or chilled as a main or side dish. Goes perfect with a BBQ too!
Easy Potluck Pasta Salad is a great potluck salad bowl, with olives, cheese, pepperoni, peppers and much more. Easy to transport, by far the best salad to take to a party!
This Simple Greek Salad is full of flavor. Cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, feta cheese, olives and onion combined with a delicious lemon and herb salad dressing.
Nutty Broccoli Slaw, quick, simple salad with broccoli, ramen noodles, olives, sunflower seeds and almonds, coated in a delicious cider vinegar dressing.
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.
lovefoodies
says: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!