Sumi Salad

This is a great entree salad for those summer days when it is just too hot to actually cook. I have no idea why it is called sumi salad, but this has been one of my favorite dishes for as long as I can remember.

The recipe comes from my mom....no idea where she got it from. I am posting the exact recipe that she sent me, with my changes noted in italics. You can omit the chicken for a vegetarian recipe.

Note: This makes a TON of food. Easily enough to serve 6 people with leftovers. You can half the recipe, but it is great a day or two later as leftovers for lunch.

Sumi Salad

2 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons oil
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 head cabbage, finely shredded (I used half green and half purple cabbage)
Two packages ramen noodles, uncooked (chicken or oriental flavor is best)
¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds (I omitted the nuts)
8 green onions, including the tops, finely sliced
1 avocado diced, optional
1 Anaheim (or poblano) pepper , optional

Boil the chicken breasts in water or broth until cooked through. Drain and shredded chicken into bite sized pieces.

Roast the Anaheim pepper over a flame or in the oven, until charred. Scrap off the blackened skin, remove the seeds, and dice.

Heat oil in small skillet and toast almonds and seeds until lightly browned. Be sure to stir often.
In a large bowl combine the onions, cabbage, Anaheim pepper, chicken, almonds, sesame seeds, and ramen noodles (broken into small pieces).

Pour the dressing (recipe below) over the salad and toss well. Cover and chill several hours or overnight before serving.

Dressing

¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup oil (I used olive oil) Edit: I recently tried using less oil and found it tastes just as good. My reccomendation is to start with 2/3 cup of oil and taste once everything is combined.
One package of seasoning from the ramen noodles

Combine all dressing ingredients and mix well. (Mom's note: I like to use a jar so that I can shake things up.) Pour over salad and toss.