Crunchy, healthy cabbage is tossed with a Vietnamese-inspired dressing that is made with peanut butter, fresh lime juice, garlic and Sriracha chili sauce.
Chef's notes
Sriracha Hot Sauce is a sweet, tangy paste made from sun-ripened chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt. Though most people associate Sriracha with the plastic bottle with the rooster on the front and the green lid, it actually originated from Si Racha, Thailand. Therefore, when buying Sriracha, try to find brands that say "made in Thailand" as these are generally more authentic, superior in flavor and contain no preservatives. Be sure to check the labels.
Steps
1
Making the Dressing
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fresh ginger
5 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx 2 limes)
6 tbsp smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp fish sauce*
1 to 2 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
a few drops sesame oil
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp HOT water
First mince the garlic and ginger. Squeeze and measure out the lime juice. Gather the peanut butter, fish sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil and sugar.
*Note: Here is a recipe for "Fish-Less Fish Sauce".
To make the dressing, place the peanut butter into a bowl and add the hot water. Let it sit for a minute or so and then whisk to combine. Don't worry if it looks split. This is normal and it will come together as you whisk.
Add the remaining ingredients. Once fully blended, taste for seasoning. Add more Sriracha sauce, if desired.
2
Finishing the Salad
Ingredients
2 lbs napa cabbage (approx 12 cups)
3/4 lb red cabbage (approx 3 cups)
3 medium carrots
1/2 bunch cilantro
15 to 20 fresh mint leaves (or to taste)
Thinly slice both cabbages and julienne the carrots. Note: While napa cabbage is great in this slaw, if you cannot find it, you can substitute with any other green cabbage.
Clean and dry the cilantro and mint and very roughly chop or tear them. With both of these ingredients you can be quite liberal. Use about 3 to 5 tablespoons each of the cilantro and mint.
Just before you are ready to serve, toss the cabbages, carrots, cilantro and mint together in a large bowl. Next, add just enough dressing to coat the ingredients. Toss evenly to coat. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
Note: Do not toss the salad in advance; otherwise, it can lose its nice, crunchy texture.
9 Comments
Rebecca B•
Is it safe to use a Vitamix blender to make this sauce, or is it possible to "overblend" the ingredients?
Thanks
I have not made this sauce in the a vitamix myself, but I am sure it should be fine —the sauce may be a bit thick, so you may need to add a bit more water for it to fully blend. Cheers!
This coleslaw is such a refreshing alternative on the many mayonnaise based coleslaws! It is extremely flavorful and sided well with an Asian fish dish (fried fish in a ginger lemon sauce) served with plane rice. Not being too keen on peanuts, a good quality almond paste was used as a substitute. Still tasted yummy and it really is a great way to eat those super healthy cabbage vitamins and minerals!
I was placed in charge of making coleslaw for a large party (60 people). I did use the vitamix simply because of the quantity of sauce. It was very easy. I did blend in 2 stages (macerating the ginger with the lime juice first), and I'm glad I did this because the peanut butter made the sauce rather thick. I imagine that the thickness depends not only on blending time, but also on the consistency of the peanut butter. I was surprised at just how perfect this recipe performed in terms of ratio of sauce to slaw. It looked like a really light coating until I tasted the results. This is one of the most flavorful slaw recipes I've ever tried.
I thought the use of mint in the slaw was very creative, and really brought the rest of the dish together. Even the kids liked it, which says a lot because it's really hard to get most kids to eat their veggies.
Thanks again!
Oh great! I agree that this slaw is so flavorful and refreshing compared to many heavy slaws. it has deep, rich flavor without weighing down the cabbage. Cheers!
I tried making this salad for the first time. I have done other asian salads before, but I absolutely love how flavorful the salad dressing is. The flavors were nicely blended. I love each ingredient that went into this salad..from the ginger and garlic to the cilantro and mint. I added sesame seeds as well on my own, and in future will add some wonton strips to give it even more crunch. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Yum! I didn’t have lime juice so I used rice vinegar. I had regular cabbage, still tasted great. 1 tablespoon of siracha did the trick for me, I’m making some coconut rice to throw under it to ‘beef it up’ for my lunches. When I eat it I close my eyes and pretend I’m in Indonesia, that’s the closet I’m going to get for now...
Dawn T •I have not made this sauce in the a vitamix myself, but I am sure it should be fine —the sauce may be a bit thick, so you may need to add a bit more water for it to fully blend. Cheers!
Maya D •This coleslaw is such a refreshing alternative on the many mayonnaise based coleslaws! It is extremely flavorful and sided well with an Asian fish dish (fried fish in a ginger lemon sauce) served with plane rice. Not being too keen on peanuts, a good quality almond paste was used as a substitute. Still tasted yummy and it really is a great way to eat those super healthy cabbage vitamins and minerals!
Ken R • Rouxbe Staff •Oh great! I agree that this slaw is so flavorful and refreshing compared to many heavy slaws. it has deep, rich flavor without weighing down the cabbage. Cheers!
Sandra L •I tried making this salad for the first time. I have done other asian salads before, but I absolutely love how flavorful the salad dressing is. The flavors were nicely blended. I love each ingredient that went into this salad..from the ginger and garlic to the cilantro and mint. I added sesame seeds as well on my own, and in future will add some wonton strips to give it even more crunch. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Kate G •Yum! I didn’t have lime juice so I used rice vinegar. I had regular cabbage, still tasted great. 1 tablespoon of siracha did the trick for me, I’m making some coconut rice to throw under it to ‘beef it up’ for my lunches. When I eat it I close my eyes and pretend I’m in Indonesia, that’s the closet I’m going to get for now...