The Scoop
Asian Slaw: A vibrant and crunchy new-beginning salad.
One sunny afternoon, just after I had moved into my first apartment, I discovered the art of unpacking. My parents had come over to help me settle in, and amidst the chaos of boxes and crumpled newspapers, there was a need for something fresh and comforting to celebrate this new chapter. Digging into a half-empty fridge, a splash of color and crunch seemed like the perfect solution. Green cabbage, a trusty staple, met its purple cousin, while vibrant slivers of bell peppers and shredded carrots joined the mix. I’d always appreciated the earthy punch of ginger, and those toasted almonds gave it just the right amount of pizzazz.
As I tossed the slaw with a zingy dressing of rice vinegar and sesame oil, the hoisin sauce added a familiar sweetness reminding me of simpler family dinners. I remembered a tip from a local chef I admired: always toast the nuts just enough to release their oils without burning. It was a small trick, but it elevated the dish to the next level. We plated it up with an extra sprinkle of sesame seeds and a generous helping of fresh cilantro, which grew thick in pots on my sunny windowsill.
The apartment was filled with laughter and the comforting aroma of something homemade on that inaugural day, making it special. Those flavors tasted like a new beginning, light and layered, just like the journey ahead. Sharing the meal, we toasted with our forks and created a tradition I’d return to again and again whenever life felt a little too packed in.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 3/4 cup yellow and/or red bell peppers thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced, plus more, to taste, for garnish
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more, to taste, for garnish
- 1/2 cup almonds, toasted, sliced
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Directions
- In a large bowl, add the green cabbage, the purple cabbage, the carrots, the bell peppers, 1/4 cup of the green onions, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, and the almonds and toss to combine.
- In a medium bowl, add the vegetable oil, the rice vinegar, the hoisin sauce, the honey, the soy sauce, the ginger, the toasted sesame oil, the salt, and the black pepper and whisk until well-combined.
- Pour the dressing mixture over the cabbage mixture and toss to evenly coat.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the slaw and garnish with the extra green onions and the extra cilantro.
- Serve.
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