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Colorful Oriental Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Soy Dressing Recipe

Colorful Oriental Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Soy Dressing

A crisp, colorful cabbage slaw tossed with a sweet soy, sesame, ginger, and garlic dressing. It makes about six servings and is perfect as a fresh side dish for grilled foods, sandwiches, rice bowls, and family meals.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Slaw
  • 4 cups Finely shredded green cabbage
  • 2 cups Finely shredded red cabbage
  • 1 Large carrot, julienned or coarsely grated
  • 1 Red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 Scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Toasted sliced almonds, cashews, or sesame seeds
Sweet Soy Dressing
  • 1/4 cup Low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Honey or light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon Neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon Fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 Small garlic clove, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon Fresh lime juice

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Remove the tough outer cabbage leaves, then shred the green and red cabbage very thinly. Cut the carrot and red bell pepper into matchsticks or thin slices, slice the scallions, and chop the cilantro if using.
  2. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey or brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, neutral oil, ginger, garlic, and optional lime juice to a small bowl or jar. Whisk or shake until the sweetener dissolves and the dressing looks evenly blended.
  3. Place all prepared vegetables in a large serving bowl and pour over about two-thirds of the dressing. Toss thoroughly, then add more dressing a little at a time until the slaw tastes balanced.
  4. Let the dressed slaw stand for 15–30 minutes before serving so the cabbage and other vegetables absorb the savory-sweet flavors. Keep the bowl chilled during this resting period if your kitchen is warm.
  5. Add the toasted almonds, cashews, or sesame seeds just before serving. Toss once more, taste for seasoning, and serve while the vegetables are still crisp.

Notes

Dress the slaw shortly before serving or within about 30 minutes to help prevent watery, limp vegetables. Toast almonds, cashews, or sesame seeds separately and add them at the end so they retain their crunch. Optional variations include red onion, snow peas, napa cabbage, shredded daikon, chili-garlic sauce, red-pepper flakes, sriracha, crunchy chow-mein noodles, or toasted ramen noodles.