- Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mirin (Japanese rice wine)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Chinese chili bean sauce (doubanjiang), or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- salt to taste
- Salad:
- 4 ounces instant ramen noodles (without flavor packet)
- 4 ounces cooked octopus, cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
- 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
- 2 ounces cooked crab meat, broken up
- 2 ounces bean sprouts
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon toasted nori (seaweed), crumbled, or more to taste
- Mix red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sesame oil, chili bean sauce, and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl to make dressing. Season with salt.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Cook instant noodles until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- Mix octopus, cucumber, red bell pepper, crab meat, bean sprouts, and scallions with noodles. Add dressing and mix to combine. Divide among serving plates and top with crumbled nori.