So, we have a new salad that we are absolutely crazed over. We ate it for dinner last weekend; we ate it for dinner last night, and, guess what? We're eating it for lunch today! And it's nothing special - just an old potluck chestnut. But for good reason...

This salad is a simple alchemy of shaved raw cabbage, sesame seeds, scallions and roasted almonds, with a dressing of oil, rice vinegar, a little sugar, and soy sauce. That's it! It takes five minutes to make.

But when it all sits together for an hour or so the cabbage kind of wilts into a perfect tender crunchiness. It's a splendid mix of crunchy, tender, crisp, salty, sour and sweet.

Sometimes you'll see recipes for this under the name "Chinese Chicken Salad" or "Ramen Salad." Some people add crunchy ramen noodles in at the last minute and use the ramen seasoning packet in the dressing. The noodles are an indulgent crunchy touch but we don't use them very often.

This salad is a great addition to your weeknight meals; if you add a little chopped chicken it can even be a one-dish meal.

Here's the recipe we followed (sort of). We added a touch of toasted sesame oil to our dressing as well.

• Ramen Coleslaw/Cabbage Salad at Recipezaar

Related: Recipe: Wine-Braised Cabbage with Parmesan

(Images: Faith Hopler)