CABBAGE SALAD

Yes, it does sound drab, but NO, trust me, its not!

Mostly raw, this salad is extremely crunchy and flavourful. Inspired from Asian notes, it is easy to make and surprisingly healthy.

You will need:

Cabbage

Red or white onions

Green Spring onions

Boiled Chicken

Fresh Coriander

For the Dressing: ginger, garlic, green chillies, salt, spring onion, blended sesame oil, vinegar, lime juice and honey.

For a vegetarian fare, I would replace the boiled chicken with sprouts or grilled mushrooms, or both.

Raw cabbage, yes it does sound a bit dull, and I was no fan of raw cabbage till I made this. It is now a staple lunch dish and often times a perfect carb-free accompaniment for many asian meals.

The cabbage will need to be cut fine. I like to use a mandolin as you get fine standard size shreds. I don't use the thick leaves near the heart of the cabbage as they tend to taste slightly bitter. I use the mandolin for the onion as well. Keep the cabbage refrigerated after cutting.

The entire flavour hinges on the dressing. The dressing is very simple, but tastes better if you allow it to sit for a while. Try and make it a few hours earlier if possible.

Sesame oil has a rather strong flavour. Do taste the oil in advance and reduce the portion if it is too strong - add a table spoon of salad oil or olive oil instead.

Mix the salad with the dressing just before serving. The cabbage will begin to weep as soon as it is mixed with the dressing, so if you mix it too early it may just end up being too watered down.

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Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cabbage sliced fine,cool

1/2 onion sliced fine

1/2 cup boiled chicken (or sprouts)

A generous amount of fresh coriander and green onion slices for garnish

For the dressing:

2" ginger piece, grated

3 garlic cloves minced

1 green chillie finely cut

4 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp honey

juice of one lime

water to adjust consistency

finely cut sprigs of spring onion

Method:

In a bowl, mix the cabbage, onion slices. Top with protein (chicken or sprouts) and garnish with fresh coriander and spring onion. Cover and keep cool in fridge.

For the dressing, mix all the ingredients in a glass jar and let it rest. Adjust the amount of water to make a lighter dressing. We don't want it very thick.

While serving, drizzle the dressing generously and toss lightly. The salad will weep and cabbage will wilt if kept for too long, so enjoy promptly.