Asian Cabbage Slaw

This recipe was born out of a desire to have an Asian type of salad with Pad Thai. All I had in the frig was some cabbage ... and here is a remarkably delicious result. While I haven't encountered too much cabbage in Thai cooking, it is frequently used in Vietnamese cooking, so I knew (or at least hoped) the flavors would meld well with Thai food. The dressing replicates dressings used for salads throughout Southeast Asia.

Ingredients: 

1/4 head cabbage, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and grated on the large side of a box grater

1/2 shallot, thinly sliced

1/4 cup mint, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

2 Tbs lime juice

1 Tbs water

4 tsp brown sugar

1 Tbs fish sauce

1 Tbs rice vinegar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp red chili flakes

Directions: 

Mix the salad ingredients together in a medium bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl, then pour the dressing over the salad. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: As an added bonus, the cabbage and lettuce stay nice and crunchy, even after the dressing is poured on, so feel free to make this salad ahead of time, then just refrigerate until ready to eat. I initially made much more than we could eat at one meal, and can attest that it even stays crunchy the next day!