I love cooking for a number of reasons. First, you never know it all…there’s always something to learn (which I’m sure can be said of every field). However with cooking it’s simple enough to learn from taking cues from the world around you. Second, I love the fact that unlike architecture, rocket science, and any other number of technical fields, I can immediately test an idea when it pops into my head. Architects wait years to see a concept come to fruition. I can hatch an idea, pick up some ingredients and in anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours I’ll know whether it worked, has merit but needs to be refined, or should simply be put in the “sounded better than it turned out” pile!
I’m often asked how someone can learn what flavors to put with what items. When it comes to ethnic cuisines, one of the best ways is to simply read cookbooks and recipes and soon you’ll be taking notice of commonly used flavors, cooking techniques and food combinations. Particularly if you aren’t concerned about preparing “traditional” dishes but simply want to the enjoy flavors representative of a specific area you can easily pull the elements together with this simple knowledge and awareness of foundational ethnic flavors.
This past weekend I visited a fellow “foodie” friend in Atlanta. He’s planning to have an Asian dinner party this coming weekend featuring steamed pork belly buns from the Momofoku Cookbook (Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang Author: David Chang) and was trying to decide what type of side items to serve. My suggestion: Asian Slaw. Now this may not exactly be a traditional Chinese accompaniment for these buns but if we were talking about barbecued pork in the south coleslaw would most assuredly be an appropriate side dish. Why not take traditional flavors and marry them with a side dish from another cuisine? We immediately started brainstorming ingredients and flavors. I love the synergy of talking food with others! Just as in any brainstorming session, a simple idea can really grow and blossom when multiple thoughts come together.
Most of the drive home I couldn’t help but think about how the dish might come together….
Napa Cabbage was a natural for the base, not that coleslaw has to be cabbage-based but it makes sense. Color would come from shredded carrots and julienned red peppers. The flavors of the dressing would certainly have to include many of the staple Asian flavor profiles: ginger, garlic, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, chilies, mint, basil, cilantro, and let’s not forget sesame!
While shopping for ingredients I also considered daikon radish for texture, flavor, and color but alas the trusty neighborhood Kroger wasn’t stocking daikon! Snow peas were there however and seemed like a good choice for some crisp sweet texture.
This was my first pass at the recipe and I liked it. As with most of my recipes, I’ll probably continue to make tweaks and adjustments here and there. For a quick brainstorm to plate recipe test I was quite happy with the results! If you’re not as adventurous as my friend who is cooking pork belly and making his own steamed buns, this would taste equally as good with Grilled Chicken or Beef Sate served with an Indonesian or Thai Peanut Sauce.
Mike…this one’s for you.
Asian Slaw
You can vary this salad by changing and adding other ingredients such as sliced water chestnuts, shredded daikon radish, and even pickled ginger could even be good cut into julienne strips and added for a refreshing note. Bruised and finely chopped lemongrass could also be added to the salad dressing. For more of a Thai/Vietnamese flavor profile, replace the sesame seeds with roasted chopped peanuts and add more on top for garnish. The most intense garlic and ginger flavors can be achieved by mincing these items by rubbing them across a rasp-style zester (such as Microplane brand). Serve with grilled fish for a refreshing and light summer meal!
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Juice of 1 large lime (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon sriracha sauce (may substitute Tabasco)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 medium head Napa cabbage
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 red bell pepper, cut into julienne strips about 1 1/2 inches long
1/4 lb. snow peas, cut into thin strips on the bias
1 bunch green onions (about 6-8)
8-10 large basil leaves
8-10 large mint leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
Toast the sesame seeds by placing them in a small pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Toss around the pan until they turn light golden and become fragrant. Remove pan from heat and transfer sesame seeds to a dish to prevent further cooking. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sriracha sauce, garlic, and ginger. Whisk together to blend. Combine the sesame seed oil and vegetable oil together in a small dish and while whisking vigorously in a zig-zag motion, slowly drizzle the oil in a steady stream until it’s all added and the dressing is emulsified. (Alternatively, all dressing ingredients can be put in a deep liquid measuring cup and emulsified using an immersion blender. ) Set dressing aside.
Slice the napa cabbage in half lengthwise and place cut-side down on a cutting board. Cut each half in half again. Turn wedge shaped pieces of cabbage over and slice out the core at the base of the wedge. Slice cabbage wedges cross-wise into very thin strips. Place cabbage in the bowl on top of the dressing. Add the shredded carrot, julienned pepper, and sliced peas to the cabbage.
Trim the root from green onions. Remove any tough or beaten up green portions from the onions. Cut the dark green from the onions but do not discard. Slice both the white and the dark green portions on a long bias. Add the white and light green portion to the salad bowl and reserve the dark green tops for garnish.
Stack up the basil and mint leaves with the largest on the bottom and smaller leaves on top. Roll leaves up into a tight cylindrical shape from long-side to long-side. Slice cross-wise using small forward motions to create very fine threads(chiffonnade). Add the basil, mint and cilantro to the salad bowl along with half of the reserved toasted sesame seeds.
Toss salad to coat with dressing and mix the vegetables together. Taste and adjust seasoning according to your taste. If it’s too tart, add a little sugar. If it needs additional salt, add kosher salt or more soy sauce. The salad is best if prepared 1-2 hours in advance so that flavors can marry and the vegetables can absorb dressing. It can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance but remove from refrigerator at least an hour before serving to allow it to warm up (cold temperatures dull flavor). Garnish top of salad with green onion tops and reserved toasted sesame seeds.