My Mom first told me about this Sesame Seed Almond Salad way back in the early 80s – but I didn’t try it until I was on a visit home. I couldn’t wrap my head around the ingredients!

Sesame Seed Almond Salad – this is the base; there is more to add!

It was the Chow Mein Noodles that made me turn her off in my head! I just assumed they’d be strange – they “make” the salad. So keep an open mind.

About Sesame Seed Almond Salad:

My Mom got the recipe from her good friend, Nancy Waugh, who I remember as no-nonsense, slightly audacious, with a fabulous laugh! Nancy, a great cook, owned a cafe in the Lakes area of Iowa and did catering. I still have a copy of her cookbook, “If It’s Good, It’s Gourmet.” Now those are words to live (and eat) by.

But back to business! In addition to the Chow Mein Noodles, there are several fabulous add-ins, and I think they do best in a romaine lettuce blend that includes some cabbage. It makes a perfect foil for the bacon, toasted almonds, and sesame seeds, as well as the Mandarin oranges, which are my addition.

The Dressing, bacon, toasted almonds and chow mein noodles.

Making Sesame Seed Almond Salad:

There’s some prep work to the salad, so it’s best to knock that out ahead of time. The assembly, though, should be done right before serving.

The bacon needs to be cooked, cooled, and crumbled, and the almonds and the sesame seeds should be toasted to bring out their flavor. The Mandarin oranges should be well-drained. More on the simple dressing, below.

Pick up a jar of toasted sesame seeds (save time & money) and keep in the freezer.

Make Ahead:

• Prepare any components of the salad ahead of time and store them separately.
• Combine everything shortly before serving.

The Dressing:

The dressing has a surprise: It’s an oil and vinegar mix, with a good bit of sugar that gives it a sweet/sour taste. The surprise is MSG, in the form of “Accent.” It intensifies the flavor of the dressing.

Make the dressing ahead and chill, but do make sure to whisk or shake it back together right before using.

As a child of the 60s and 70s, I remember seeing Accent in Mom’s cupboards, but never really knew what it was, never saw her use it, never gave it another thought – until I checked out this dressing!

I found it at the grocery store, towards the bottom shelf under all the spices and herbs. MSG is trending these days; I’ll try to check out a few recipes because I hate to leave any of you guys with a “one-off” ingredient if I can help it! If the thought of using it freaks you out, just leave it out of the recipe. I would suggest adding a teaspoon of dried mustard powder and using rice wine vinegar to boost the flavor.

The dressing turns white when shaken!

Variations:

If you’d like to turn Sesame Seed Almond Salad into a dinner dish, just add chicken!

Either use leftover or rotisserie chicken, poach chicken, or prepare your chicken as it is done in the recipe linked below, for Warm Chicken and Mandarin Salad.

Leftover Sesame Seed Almond Salad:

Once the salad is mixed, time is limited. If you believe there will be leftovers, dress and add the chow mein noodles to only the portion you feel will be served and eaten.

Other Asian Leaning Salads You Might Like:

• Cold Asian Peanut Noodle Salad – this can easily be a side or a main; it’s hearty enough.
• Warm Chicken & Mandarin Salad – I confess this was in my recipe box, I think from the same era. Glad I resurrected it!
• California Steak Salad – the Asian dressing alone is enough to make you want to lick your plates!

California Steak Salad with Sweet/Spicy Asian Vinaigrette

Saving Money on Groceries:

What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.

• The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
• If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.

The best way to save money on this or any recipe is to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer full of sale-priced items.

Lettuce:

• The best pricing is by the head/bunch, especially on sale. It tastes better, is fresher, lasts longer, and has less chance of contamination.
• When compared by weight, bags run 4 to 10 times the price of lettuce by the head.
• Wash all greens thoroughly before using, except (according to the FDA), packaged, labeled prewashed. Avoid cross-contamination.

Bacon:

• There’s no sense in ever paying full price for bacon; it goes on salt too ofen. Best pricing is pre-holiday sales, often half off or more. You’ll likely find great pricing on different qualities and brands leading up to any holiday.
• Stock up and freeze until ready to use.

Nuts:

• Stock up for the year on nuts (and dried fruit) from fall, through the Winter holidays.
• At the grocery, check snack, baking, bulk, and discount aisles. Discount groceries usually have good pricing but limited choices. Buyers’ clubs are known for their quality. Farm & Tractor Supply Stores are hidden gems for dried fruit and nuts.
• Repackage any nuts in flimsy wrappings and keep in the freezer for long-term storage.

Chow Mein Noodles:

• They’re not available at the discount groceries in my area, and I haven’t checked buyers’ clubs for them. I tried making homemade, but could not achieve the dried crispiness of the commercial varieties! You might use any leftover to top Midwestern Chow Mein.
• My only advice is if you use regularly, is to check around the Asian New Year in the grocery store when many Asian items go on sale, often unadvertised, and stock up if the price is great, or check the Asian markets.

Sesame Seeds:

• If sesame seeds are used often, pick up a jar of toasted sesame seeds at the Asian market or area of the store. Prices at the market will usually beat grocery store pricing.
• Keep sesame seeds in the freezer.

Sesame Seed Almond Salad – just waiting to be dr4essed and tossed.

Sesame Seed Almond Salad

Print Recipe

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• Author: Nancy Waugh from Jan Beal
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Salads
• Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Dressing:

• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons Accent
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (suggestion rice wine vinegar)
• 1/2 cup salad oil

For the Salad:

• 1 large head of lettuce (I subbed in a bagged mix with cabbage)
• 4 (or more) green onions
• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 to 2 1/4 ounce package slivered almonds
• 1 cup chow mein noodles
• 5 to 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 can of Mandarin oranges, well drained

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Instructions

For the Dressing:

Mix sugar, salt, Accent, vinegar, and oil together till well blended. It will thicken and turn white. Set aside, but mix again before serving.

For the Salad:

In a 325 degree F. oven, toast almonds and sesame seeds on a cookie sheet 10 minutes and cool. (My note: watch closely, stirring as needed, and remove immediately from the oven and cookie sheet once they reach a light golden brown color.)

Tear lettuce, add onions and bacon. Before serving add almonds and seeds and mix with dressing. Add chow mein noodles last. Arrange Mandarin oranges around the salad.