Sunday, May 11, 2008

Great Asian Coleslaw/Salad



So the heat is on and Soups are off the menu and Salads are taking there place for the Summer. So my grand pursuit for the season is to use my favorite ingredient LIMES in many dishes!!!!! So I was at one of my favorite restaurants that only uses locally grown produce. They have a Mexican Coleslaw on the menu that I have had before. Pretty good, but not my favorite. I read the ingredients and I thought this is a good recipe for summer but with some changes it could be a salad staple for me over the summer. So I went home and went through my cook book selection, nothing. So I go online. I found a lot of coleslaw recipes. They where all good but not what I was looking for. So I decided to come up with my own. I am a big fan of cabbage. Not many people are but being raised with coleslaw on the table every night you grow a custom to it. So I decided do a spin on Asian Coleslaw. Easy, very good for you and so good.





two cups of broccoli Slaw(only from Trader Joes)
two cups of chopped Cabbage
1/2 cup of chopped white sweet onion
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
two Jalapenos chopped and seeded
one tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds
one to two tablespoons of pure sesame seed oil
two tablespoon of rice vinegar
two tablespoon of olive oil

Broccoli Slaw may not be available to you and to make it is pretty easy. Usually people just eat the Broccoli tops and throw away the stalks, but the stalks are totally usable. So cut off the tops and save for dinner time. Use a grater and grate the stalks for a slaw. Or you can use a peeler to peel the stalks to get more of a slaw look. Also add a carrot into the grating. The carrot adds some color and some sweetness. The Sesame seed oil and Toasted Sesame seeds can be found in any Asian market, Whole Foods and some Trader Joes in the Japanese foods section.

Prepping the Jalapeno Peppers can be tough. I take a sharp knife and cut off the tops and then in half lengthwise to the pepper. i take the tip and crap off the seeds. Then cut away the white areas. Put to the side with the knife, try not to touch with your hands. Save some seeds though to top the salad. Slice then chop the pepper. Remember to wash your hands well when done and not to touch your eyes if you can help it.

Combine all ingredients and give a taste. See if the flavors taste tangy, crunchy with a nice sesame flavor. If not then add more Sesame oil and lime or a pinch more of salt until you get there. I take some of the discarded seeds from the Jalapeno peppers and sprinkle on the salad to control the heat better.

This salad can be made in advance for parties and can holdup in the fridge for a week. I like to put this on a side of chicken salad, or grilled chicken or fish. If you make home made Sushi this would be great to serve as a starter salad or a side. A good friend of mine who I sent this to first to try in his own kitchen loves to put this on top of a good Turkey or Beef burger. This is pretty old school "East Coast" to put a slaw on a sandwich or a burger. It adds a whole dimension to a burger or a nice sandwich.

All the best,
Shara

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