poolside sesame slaw
I’m very excited to announce the opening day of what we name slaw season on the Smitten Kitchen. There may be nothing higher than a crunchy, lettuce-free, wilt-resistant salad in the summertime, and I don’t simply imply cabbage swimming in mayo. It might be broccoli or cauliflower, greens high quality and pickled on sandwiches and tacos, and truthfully, if it’s a vegetable, I really feel assured I may slaw it, regardless of completely no person requesting that I do.
Final month on trip in Florida, I ate a salad like this by a pool (ah, trip, I miss you a lot) and whereas I swear on a stack of cookbooks that if I’m a visitor in your house, something you make for me is actually probably the most scrumptious factor I’ve ever eaten, I’m at all times grateful for it and uncritiquing of it… this doesn’t apply to eating places. I do know I may do it higher. So, I got here residence and began tinkering with a ratio (2:4:1) of cabbage to greens to crunchy issues auditioned with three totally different dressings (another of sesame-peanut sauce, another of a nuoc cham, and another of a ginger-scallion herby combination) and concluded that the easiest dressing for this salad already exists — the miso-sesame dressing on this Miso Candy Potato Broccoli Bowl that I first used on the Sugar Snap Slaw in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.
From right here, you possibly can add protein, if you want. We brushed rooster thigh cutlets with a mixture of honey and darkish soy sauce and grilled them, then minimize them skinny, however I feel tofu would even be glorious right here (both brushed and grilled the identical, or uncooked, because it doesn’t should be cooked). Just like the seashore bean salad, this salad has portability in thoughts as it’ll maintain up for hours, and even days should you maintain the dressing separate. It needs to tag together with you on the nice life, lounging by a glowing blue pool this weekend (simply inform me what time to reach) and saving you from concession stand traces — which, in response to my very own private guidelines, are solely acceptable for funnel cake.
DRESSING
- 1 tablespoon minced contemporary ginger
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
- 2 tablespoons white miso
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons olive or a impartial oil
- Salt and Sriracha to style
SLAW
- 4 cups thinly sliced combined carrots, cucumber, celery, bell peppers, sugar snaps, and/or snow peas
- 2 cups thinly sliced pink, inexperienced, savoy, or napa cabbage
- 1 cup chopped salted peanuts
- 1 cup thinly sliced scallion (white and inexperienced elements)
- Handful chopped contemporary cilantro, if you want
- About 1 cup Miso-Sesame Dressing (above)
- 1 pound grilled rooster thighs, thinly sliced (elective, see Notice)
Make the dressing: Mix all dressing components in a blender and run till clean, scraping down sides as soon as. It’s also possible to hand-whisk the components in a bowl, however be vigorous so the chunky components clean out. Style and regulate components to your desire.Assemble the salad: Holding again a bit of of the peanuts, scallion, and herbs for garnish, add all components to a big bowl and toss with half of the dressing, including some or all the remaining dressing to style. Season with salt and pepper, if wanted. Sprinkle with reserved peanuts, scallions, and herbs for additional prettiness. Eat immediately or deliver it someplace fantastic in a cooler and eat it in a number of hours.
Do forward: The dressing and chopped greens (besides the cilantro, which could wilt quicker), saved individually, will maintain for as much as 5 days within the fridge.
