Thai Slaw with Peanut Dressing

One of our favorite salads/slaws made from pantry staple ingredients. Thinly shaved vegetables are tossed in a peanut/satay dressing that combines the spice of ginger, and the richness, and naturally high fat content, of peanuts. Rich, complex, and satisfying, this is an excellent salad for those who “don’t like salad“, and pairs beautifully with barbecued meats. If you overindulged this past holiday season, keep a batch of this slaw in your fridge; it’ll make you feel like you’ve got your life together.

FOR THE SLAW:

• 16 oz. Brussel Sprouts
  • Napa Cabbage, Green Cabbage (the common variety in your grocery store), or Purple/Red Cabbage can all be used in this application instead of the brussel sprouts. Keep your slaw-game interesting and use whatever you like.
• 2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons Table Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro (optional garnish)
• 4 Radishes Thinly Sliced (optional garnish)
• 1 Cup Raw/Unsalted Peanuts, chopped (optional garnish)
• 2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional garnish)

FOR THE PEANUT DRESSING:

• 2 Tablespoons of Smooth Peanut Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
  • Rice Wine Vinegar and Sherry Vinegar can also be used here.
• 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Honey
• 2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Grated Fresh Ginger

1. Begin by breaking down your brussel sprouts. To get a pleasing texture out of raw, cruciferous (kro͞oˈsifərəs) vegetables (brussel sprouts, cabbages, broccolis, cauliflowers, etc., are all in the same “cruciferous” family of vegetables), you’ll want to shave them pretty thin. The best tool for that job is the food processor (though thinly slicing by hand can also be done). To use your food processor, remove the metal blade attachment and use the shred/slice disc-blade. For our tastes, the “shred” side of our disc-blade gave us perfectly shaved brussel sprouts. Simply fill up the feeding tube with the brussel sprouts, turn the processor on, and use the feed tubes plunger to press your brussel sprouts forcibly down into the spinning disc-blade. Once you’ve processed all of your brussel sprouts, transfer them to a large bowl, and toss with your two tablespoons white wine vinegar and two teaspoons salt. Cover, and set aside in the fridge to soften. You can complete this step up to two days ahead.
2. To make the peanut dressing, combine all of your ingredients in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Prepare your garnishes next. Take your sesame seeds and place them in a small skillet on low/medium-low heat. Toasting seeds/nuts coaxes out a more pronounced flavor, but the smaller the seed/nut, the quicker it will burn. Stir, and rotate your sesame seeds periodically, and modify/lower your heat as needed. The total toasting time should take 5-10 minutes (let the color of the toasting seeds be your guide…you’re looking for a pale brown color). Once lightly browned, remove the toasted sesame seeds from the pan, and set them aside to cool (make more than you need, and store in a plastic sandwich baggie to always keep on hand as a garnish for other dishes…..you’ll impress your friends and look extremely Cheffy). Next, thinly slice your radishes and, either use them raw, or “pickle” them in a mixture of 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (30 minutes minimum). Finally, roughly chop your raw peanuts and cilantro. When you’re ready to serve, add your sesame seeds, peanuts, cilantro, and radishes (reserving small amounts of each for additional garnish) to your brussel sprouts, and toss with your peanut dressing (reserving some for additional garnish). Serve, and enjoy!

GET CHEFFY TIP!– Our measurements of soy, honey, ginger, etc. in our peanut dressing are meant to be a starting point “guideline”, and are not written in stone. Depending on how one feels that day, you may want to add more vinegar, or ginger…..if your sweet tooth is crying from all of these raw vegetables, add a bit more honey to the dressing. As you’ve heard us say many times, “taste as you go…modify as you see fit”.