Name: Aunt Junie's Ramen Salad
Ingredients: 16 oz bag tricolor coleslaw fixings; 1 package of beef flavor ramen noodles, crushed, no pieces bigger than a pea; ¾ cup very thinly sliced scallions, (green or spring onions, about 3 or 4); ¾ cup sunflower seeds, I use the salted ones; ¾ cup sliced almonds; ½ cup sugar or part or all Splenda; ½ cup canola oil; ⅓ cup cider vinegar (Original recipe used white vinegar, we like the mellower flavor of the cider. It's also easier on older digestive systems); beef flavoring packet from ramen noodles

Why it works: Sunflower and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 165 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Aunt Junie's Ramen Salad

Ingredients

16 oz bag tricolor coleslaw fixings
1 package of beef flavor ramen noodles, crushed, no pieces bigger than a pea
¾ cup very thinly sliced scallions, (green or spring onions, about 3 or 4)
¾ cup sunflower seeds, I use the salted ones
¾ cup sliced almonds
½ cup sugar or part or all Splenda
½ cup canola oil
⅓ cup cider vinegar (Original recipe used white vinegar, we like the mellower flavor of the cider. It's also easier on older digestive systems)
beef flavoring packet from ramen noodles

Directions

Prepare the salad

In a large bowl combine shredded coleslaw fixings, scallions, sunflower seeds, and almonds until well mixed.
Cover and chill until shortly before serving.

Make the dressing

In a small bowl blend sugar or Splenda, canola oil, vinegar and beef seasoning from ramen soup package with whisk until blended.
Cover and chill until shortly before serving salad.

Serve

Shortly before serving, stir noodles and dressing into cabbage mixture, blend well and stir one more time just before serving.
Keeps well for a few days if it lasts that long.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

699Calories

37 gProtein

44 gFat

40 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Sunflower Seed	1 oz (28g) hulled	165
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Almond	1 almond (1.2g)	7
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Cider	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Sunflower + almondtop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together165 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,431 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,092 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Sunflower + canola oiltop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together38 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Onion + canola oiltop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,150 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Coleslaw fixings: Form the crunchy, bulky body of the salad.
Ramen noodles: Add crunch when crushed and mixed into the salad just before serving.
Sugar or splenda: Adds sweetness that balances the sharp vinegar in the dressing.
Canola oil: Carries flavor and adds richness to the dressing.
Cider vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing, with a milder flavor than white vinegar.
Sunflower seeds: Add crunch and a toasty, nutty flavor to the salad.

The step that matters

Stir in the noodles just before serving. Crushed noodles absorb moisture from the dressing and lose their crunch if they sit too long. Adding them shortly before serving keeps the texture crisp.

Swap the almond

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, onion, sunflower, sugar, canola oil, cider, vinegar):

Sesamefits better
Peanutfits better
Beansfits better
Almondthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, onion, sunflower, sugar, canola oil, cider, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Aunt Junie's Ramen Salad