EUROPEAN OR ASIAN SALAD: RED CABBAGE SLAW
This salad is delicious in two very different configurations, depending on the availabity of ingredients in your area.
INGREDIENTS:
- half a head of red cabbage
- 5 carrots
- 2 red peppers
- 2 lemons or limes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- fresh ginger
- optional: fresh chilli pepper
- optional: buttermilk
- vinegar
- a handful of fresh corriander or parsely
- two handfuls of peanuts/cashews/mix
Basic principle:
Shred half a head of red cabbage finely, grate 5 carrots and slice two red peppers in long thin strips. The colour combination of purple, orange and red is irresistable.
For the European version:
Make a dressing with the juice of 2 lemons and a cup of cider or white wine vinegar, add about 2cm of finely chopped ginger and 2 cloves of garlic, salt, plenty of pepper, and some paprika flakes to give it some zing. If you hate vinegar, you can substitute buttermilk. Pour the dressing over the salad, and try to ensure that it is enough cover the cabbage, as the acid will soften the cabbage nicely. Add more vinegar if there isn't enough dressing. Roughly chop a bunch of flat leaf parsely and some spring onions and and add to the mix.
For the Asian version:
Make a dressing with the juice of 2 limes, a cup of rice vinegar, or malt vinegar. Add 2cm of chopped ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, a finely chopped fresh green chilli pepper and some soy sauce to taste. Dress the salad generously as above, roughly chop a bunch of corriander and add to the mix.
GARNISH
Garnish both variations by roasting a mixture of peanuts and cashews (about 2 handfulls) in a frying pan (without oil at first) so that you smell that fine nutty aroma. As the nuts are nealry ready (after about 5 minutes) add some honey, oil, salt and pepper, and harissa or other chilli paste if you have it for even more zing.
If you are making the salad in advange, keep the nuts on the side and add them at the last moment.
Like most slaws, this salad keeps for about 48 hours in the fridge, and actually tastes better on day 2.
