Creator Melissa Broder’s late father, Bob, was an ardent fan of purple cabbage. Like an “eat a wedge of it with blue cheese dressing” kind of fan. Initially impressed by a recipe from The Frog Commissary Cookbook, this crunchy hen and cabbage salad rapidly turned Bob’s calling card, as Melissa tells it. It was the dish he’d carry to “each birthday luncheon, barbecue, and commencement occasion.” With a vivid and punchy sesame-ginger dressing plus tons of texture from bean sprouts, canned water chestnuts, and toasted nuts, it’s little shock why this was beloved. This recipe makes a mountain of salad—sufficient to feed a crowd. If it’s useful, you may prep the greens, hen, and dressing forward of time and maintain them individually, tossing the whole lot collectively on the time of serving.
