Easy Asian Slaw — The Side That Held the Table Together

Father's Day. James's first. I woke up at 5 AM — Hana woke me, as she does — and I fed her and changed her and put her in the kimchi onesie and placed her on James's chest at 6 AM. He opened his eyes. He saw Hana. He said, "Happy Father's Day to me." He held her against his chest for thirty minutes. She slept on him. He did not move. He did not check his phone. He just lay there with his daughter on his chest, breathing in the smell of her hair — that baby smell, the one that should be bottled and sold as a controlled substance because it is that powerful — and being a father on Father's Day for the first time.

I called David. I said, "Happy Father's Day, Dad." He said, "Thank you, kid." He said, "I watched you yesterday on the baby monitor — James sent me the clip of you singing to Hana in Korean." I said, "He sent you that?" He said, "He sent me that." He paused. "Steph. You sing to her in Korean." I said, "I do." He said, "I never — your mother and I never thought to sing to you in Korean. We didn't know any Korean songs. We didn't think to learn them." I said, "Dad. You sang to me. You sang 'Blackbird' by the Beatles every night." He said, "I did. I sang 'Blackbird.' I didn't sing Korean." I said, "Dad. 'Blackbird' was enough. 'Blackbird' was perfect." He was quiet. Then he said, "You're a better parent than I was." I said, "I'm a different parent. Not better. You gave me the blueprint. I'm just adding rooms." He liked that. He said, "Adding rooms. That's good. That's engineering talk. I understand engineering talk." We laughed. David laughs more since Hana. Everyone laughs more since Hana.

James's parents called from San Jose. Ming and Wei sang "Happy Birthday" to James on FaceTime, which is not the right song for Father's Day, but Ming refused to learn a Father's Day song and said, "Birthday song works for all celebrations. Don't argue with me." Nobody argued with Ming. Nobody ever argues with Ming.

The recipe this week is James's Taiwanese beef noodle soup — his father's day request, the dish that is his comfort food the way doenjang jjigae is mine. I made it for him. He ate two bowls. Hana watched from her high chair (newly purchased, newly occupied, newly the best seat in the house). She watched her father eat soup and her mother serve soup and the kitchen held all three of us and the soup held the table and the table held the family. Father's Day. The first. Not the last. The beginning of a tradition that will grow and change and become its own thing — a family tradition, made from parts, assembled from two cuisines, held together by soup.

James ate two bowls of his noodle soup, and I watched him the way he had watched Hana that morning — just quietly, completely present. But every great noodle table needs something crunchy alongside it, something bright to cut through the richness, and this easy Asian slaw has been my go-to since long before Hana and long before James ever knew I could cook. I’ve brought it to potlucks, to my parents’ house, to exhausted Tuesday dinners — and on his first Father’s Day, it earned its place right next to the soup that made him feel at home.

Easy Asian Slaw

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 package (3 oz) ramen noodles, crushed uncooked (discard seasoning packet)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, honey, grated ginger, and minced garlic until fully combined. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Prep the vegetables. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, and sliced green onions. Toss to mix evenly.
3. Add the crunch. Add the crushed uncooked ramen noodles, toasted almonds, and toasted sesame seeds to the bowl. Toss again to distribute throughout the slaw.
4. Dress the slaw. Pour the dressing over the slaw mixture and toss thoroughly until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional soy sauce or rice vinegar as needed.
5. Serve. Serve immediately for maximum crunch, or refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving. If making ahead, keep the dressing and crushed noodles separate and combine just before serving to preserve texture.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 480mg