not your grandma’s coleslaw
Cabbage might not be the flashiest vegetable, but it’s one of the most enduring. According to Wikipedia, it’s been cultivated in Europe since around 1000 BC. And coleslaw? That crunchy, creamy side dish has Dutch roots and has been around since the 1800s. My great-grandmother came to Canada from Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) in 1892. With her, she brought the comforting dishes of her homeland; one of which was her roast pork with purple slaw. It wasn’t the raw kind we think of today, but slow-cooked purple cabbage with vinegar and caraway seeds. I can still remember how good it smelled… and tasted!
Cabbage is endlessly versatile. Eat it raw, cooked, pickled, or dressed up with herbs and spices. Click here to see a few of the ways I’ve prepared this humble (and ancient!) vegetable in my kitchen.
you will need
cabbage (green or purple)
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
green onion, thinly sliced (can also use red onion)
1 to 2 strips of cooked bacon, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar (can also use honey)
1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil
cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
method
Combine soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, brown sugar and sesame oil in a bowl. Set aside. Thinly slice cabbage and roughly chop. In a bowl, add chopped cabbage, carrot, green onion and bacon. Mix to combine. Pour over the soy sauce mixture. Toss to combine. Do a taste test and adjust ingredients to suit your taste buds. Allow cabbage ingredients to marinate in the dressing for roughly one hour.
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Set aside. Thinly slice and roughly chop the cabbage, then place it in a large bowl along with shredded carrot, sliced green onion, and bacon. Give everything a good toss to combine. Drizzle the soy-lime dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss again until evenly coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate. Let the coleslaw marinate for about an hour to allow the flavours to deepen and the cabbage to soften slightly. When ready to serve, top with cilantro.
the culinary chase’s note:
The addition of bacon is optional, but oh so good. Enjoy!