RCP: Hot and Sour Cole Slaw

I made this for our block party last weekend. I've never had a cole slaw I liked as much as this one. It has a wonderful gingery character as well as a touch of heat. There's no mayo in it, so it's low fat and pretty low in calories. And it's dead simple to make. What's not to like?

The recipe is from Gourmet magazine, June 2004, via Epicurious.

Hot and Sour Cole Slaw

1 small head cabbage (2 lb), quartered, cored, and thinly sliced (I used half of a large head of green cabbage)
1/2 lb carrots (3 medium), shredded
1/3 cup finely chopped scallions (I used a similar amount of finely diced red onion as I was fresh out of scallions)
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

Toss together cabbage, carrots, scallions, and salt in a large bowl and let stand until cabbage is slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.
Bring vinegar, sugar, ginger, and red pepper flakes to a boil in a very small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then pour over cabbage mixture and toss to coat.

That's it!

Yum....sounds great, thanks!

[Jenise]

I do not like conventional cole slaw and only make oil-and-vinegar versions. But I've never considered putting ginger in it before--killer idea, I'll make it this weekend! Would be a perfect salad, but beyond that, imagine it as a filling ingredient in a Kalua pig taco! Thanks!

This hot and sour cole slaw was delicious. Perfect balance of flavors, and I liked that the warmed vinegar mixture just slightly softened the cabbage. So easy to make too.

Glad you liked it, Karen!

you can add me to the fans of this recipe. Easy, delicious, different.
I made it Fri, had some more Saturday, and then used some as a hot dog topping for lunch today.

[Jenise]

With the shredded 'kalua pig' and Trader Joe's extra thick cornmeal tortillas, wow did this slaw make a spectacular taco topping last night. I added a handful of unsweetened dried coconut, and served pineapple muffins and fruit on the side. Thanks again, Mike.

I didn't reply at once -- answering a recipe with a recipe -- but you've had some feedback now.

My new "favorite" cookbook is Jeff Smedstad's "Elote Cafe Cookbook."

In it he has a recipe for "Spicy Cabbage" which they put to several uses at the Cafe -- Jeff say he "eats it by the handful"

He is very fond of Cholula hot sauce, which has a nice viscosity that makes it cling, and a lot of flavor besides simple hotness.

Very simple recipe:

3 cups shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon Cholula hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar

So no ginger, which is a disadvantage, but very tasty stuff and very simple...