Oriental Slaw

Napa cabbage is a common green in oriental cooking, especially stir fries. It has crunchy stems and leafy tops. It looks like leafy celery with broader, softer stems. It is less flavorful and less pungent than American cabbage. You can substitute bok choy or regular American cabbage if you can't find napa cabbage. The secret of the oriental flavor is the roasted sesame oil. Don't skip this ingredient or substitute another ingredient. It is made from toasted sesame seeds and is brown with a distinct aroma you will recognize instantly when you open the bottle. Another important ingredient is the fresh ginger. It offers wonderful spicy pops of flavor.

Recipe

Makes. 8 servings
Preparation time. 20 minutes

The dressing
1/8 cup peanut oil (vegetable oil will do)
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice or juice of 1/2 lime (lemon juice will do)
3 tablespoons oriental roasted sesame oil (no substitutions)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger (no substitutions)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

The slaw
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
3 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
7 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage (you can substitute bok choy or regular green cabbage)
6 thinly sliced green onions
6 ounces snow peas sliced into matchstick size
1 large sweet red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews

Option. You can substitute more rice vinegar for the lime juice. You can add more sugar if you wish.

Do this
1) Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a bowl or put them in a bottle and shake them up good.

2) In a dry frying pan, toast the sesame seeds over a medium heat, stirring every 20 seconds or so, until they darken and exude a fragrant nutty scent.

3) Toss together all the slaw ingredients except the nuts. Pour the dressing on top and let it sit for an hour or two in the fridge if possible. Taste the finished product and add salt and pepper to taste if you wish. You may also add more sugar if you wish.

4) Toast nuts as you did the sesame seeds and add them at the last moment before serving so they don't get soggy.

This page was revised 8/25/2009