This simple, slightly spicy Asian slaw takes just a few minutes to put together with pantry & fridge ingredients- serve with grilled meats or Asian dishes. Check out more Quick Healthy Recipes.
Along with “regular” coleslaw (cabbage and vegetables dressed with a basic vinaigrette), Bacon Caesar Slaw, Shaved Cabbage Salad with Feta, and the other slaws you can find in the recipe index, this spicy Asian slaw is in regular rotation on our menus. You probably get the idea that we enjoy slaws in many forms (though I’m going on record – and maybe out on a limb – that this does not include those over-sweet, mayo-coated coleslaws you get in delis and restaurants…yuck, it’s enough to put people off slaws forever!).
But it wasn’t always that way – for me at least. I didn’t like coleslaw growing up at all. Of course now that I think about it, it was because everyone I knew either bought or made that too-sweet, mayo based slaws – so there’s that. So it wasn’t until I started gardening – and growing cabbage – that I started exploring more ways to eat cabbage. And fell in love with vinaigrette-based cabbage salads.
Not only are slaws a delicious and refreshing change from lettuce-based salads, they also go together quickly and can be made ahead.
At it’s basic a slaw – or cabbage salad – consists of shredded cabbage coated with a dressing. You can change it up with the vegetables you add and the flavors of the dressing. They can become southwestern flavored with the addition of cumin and lime, Mediterranean-like by adding feta, or Asian like this version (be sure to check out the Thai variation, too). It’s fun to experiment and come up with new cabbage salad flavors!
Spicy Asian Slaw
I love this simple technique I learned from Cook’s Illustrated to more easily cut cabbage by hand. Even though I’ve made a lot of slaws, I’ve always struggled with chopping the cabbage. The pieces would either be too big or too small (food processor, anyone?) or I worried about cutting my finger when cutting large wedges (which I actually did once!). This cutting technique really is better:
- Quarter and core the head of cabbage as usual
- Remove the smaller inside portion from one of the quarters (you can see the small part I removed in the picture above).
- Then lay the larger outer leaves on a cutting board and push them down flat to finely slice. The smaller portion is now easier to cut as well.
I usually use mostly green cabbage, throwing in a little purple cabbage if I have it, and add sweet onions, shredded carrots and/or chopped red peppers for extra color, flavor, and nutrition. And when they all come from your garden? Well, those are the times we gardeners love, right?
The quick vinaigrette is a bit different than my basic Asian vinaigrette, mainly with the addition of soy sauce and ginger while eliminating the Dijon. The slight spice (and more flavor!) come from sriracha sauce, which is easy to adjust to your family’s taste. Adding just a bit of homemade mayonnaise makes it a bit more creamy, but it’s really optional.
Add a sprinkling of sesame seeds and your salad is ready to either serve or refrigerate for a few hours, making it a great make-ahead dish (it’s good the next day, too, but will have a bit more liquid in the bottom from the cabbage sitting overnight).
This is simple, good food. I serve this with Asian flavored chicken and noodles, or curry with rice, or Teriyaki chicken, or…you get the idea- there are a lot of meals that would benefit from an easy slaw to add more vegetables and nutrition!
Click the arrow for the full Asian Slaw recipe + printable option!
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margaret says
June 10 at 12:29 amI will have to use chinese cabbage, my old tum objects to proper cabbage though I like it. I like toasted sesame oil on it too.
Jami says
June 11 at 5:01 pmI’ve used Chinese cabbage in this before, Margaret, and it’s really good.
margaret says
June 10 at 12:27 amI am not sure if I am subscribed. I enjoyed your you tube bit on using heavy brown paper for flooring. thanks. Wonder if calico would work too. Easier to work AND a bulk buy wd make it economical. You could go nuts and stencil on it prior to laying and sealing. Old bushies used to paper walls with newspaper…interesting when old too.
Michelle Marine says
June 27 at 12:00 pmI love vinaigrette cole slaw and I’ve got cabbage right now so this is perfect timing! Happy Summer, Jami!!
Diane says
June 26 at 2:26 pmOur red cabbage is just ripening. How perfect! This slaw looks like a tasty way to serve it up! Thanks for sharing!
Shelly says
June 22 at 10:00 amWe love coleslaw and this looks like a delicious one we need to try. Yum!
Jami says
June 23 at 10:07 amThanks, Shel!
Suez says
March 31 at 3:41 pmWhat is healthy about soy sauce? One of the worse things you could eat? Sorry, but this is a little upsetting to me.
Jami says
March 31 at 4:56 pmI buy naturally fermented soy sauce, Suez, and we use it only weekly – and that just a few tablespoons for an entire dish. I’ve never heard that soy sauce is ‘bad’ for you, just that it contains a lot of salt and that the commercially available products are made poorly. (see: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/soy-sauce-the-good-the-bad-and-the-surprisingly-ugly/) Now, plain soy is another thing – that has become a problem because of people replacing protein with it and all the fake-meat foods which causes way too much consumption of soy. I guess you’d need to explain why you think a bit of soy sauce in a stir fry or salad is bad for me – I certainly don’t mean to upset you!
Bonnie says
June 3 at 4:07 pmI have been buying the Asian slaw mix at Fred Meyers and it is very good. I do add diced red and green peppers and green onions. But I certainly must try this. I also finally stopped at the Corner Market on River Road and they have great locally grown veggies. First visit gift is garlic whips or scapes. I will try them tonight.
Thanks for a great site, Bonnie from Eugene
Jami says
June 4 at 11:44 amThanks for the tips and kind words, Bonnie – nice to know a fellow Eugenian! 🙂
Anonymous says
August 28 at 12:39 amI just made this again with the Srirachi sauce. Unbelievable. I am so hooked. Yippee!
brenda from arkansas
Amy says
July 30 at 5:10 pmmmmmm… that looks really good… i love slaw
Janet Marie says
July 29 at 12:30 amOoooooo…this looks wonderful!!
Anonymous says
July 29 at 12:22 amWhoa. I had most of this on hand so gave it a try, with a few substitutions. Red wine vinegar in place of rice vinegar. Few shakes of Frank’s Red Hot(probably not even close to Srirachi). Despite the subs, it was pretty darn yummy. I’m getting the real stuff and doing it proper next time. Yippee!
brenda from arkansa
Kalyn says
July 28 at 2:19 pmLove the sound of this and the Thai variation as well!
Mindy says
July 28 at 3:28 pmYum!!! I have some cabbage already cut up in the fridge – I think this will have to be mine. :o)
CAS says
July 28 at 2:57 pmSounds delicious! I would probably add some chicken right into to the slaw and have an entire meal in one bowl. Well, that’s the way I fly around here in the AZ summer heat! Thank you for sharing!
Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage says
July 28 at 2:04 pmI am going to try this recipe this summer. It sounds delicious and refreshing on a hot day.