Spicy Slaw with Peanuts
As a child of parents who grew up in the South, we ate coleslaw at many meals. My Momma served it with fried catfish and as a side dish during summer barbecues. What I remember most was having the creamy, mayonnaise version. This Spicy Slaw with Peanuts is a very distant cousin to what I grew up enjoying.
I have always enjoyed cabbage in many forms. Vinegar- based coleslaw. Sauerkraut and sausage. Corned beef and roasted cabbage. Pulled pork sandwiches topped with creamy slaw. Tacos topped with crispy slaw. Chinese twice-cooked pork with stir fried cabbage. Tender green lettuce salads mixed with crunchy shredded cabbage. You get it…I like cabbage.
So when I came across a recipe on Pinterest that paired cabbage with Asian flavors like soy, sriracha, rice vinegar, cilantro and peanuts, I knew it would be worth a try. I pinned the recipe to my Low-Carb Yum board as it’s super healthy and very low in sugar. In fact you can substitute in an artificial sweetener like Splenda in this recipe if you’d like.
There are no hard and fast rules to the ingredient list. At different times I’ve added in carrot, fresh pepper strips, edamame, water chestnuts and other crunchy vegetables to it based on what I had in the fridge. This makes a great dish to take to a pot luck dinner or summer barbecue. However, you will want to wait to toss it with the dressing until right before serving. It’s important to maintain the crunchy texture. You don’t want to end up with a soggy slaw.
This time I paired it with my Spicy BBQ Shrimp dish. Who knew spicy Cajun and spicy Asian would work together on the same plate? If you like a lot of spice, simply increase the amount of hot sauce and consider adding very thin strips of serrano or jalapeno chile pepper to the slaw mix.
Spicy Slaw with Peanuts
Spicy Slaw with Peanuts
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce bag slaw mix
- 1 large carrot shredded
- 1/2 green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 6 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 cup peanuts roughly chopped
Dressing for slaw
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar finely grated
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 3 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 3 teaspoons sriracha sauce
- 1/4 cup canola oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently combine slaw mix, carrot, pepper, onions, cilantro and peanuts,
- In protein shaker with wire mesh ball or glass jar with tight fitting lid, combine all dressing ingredients and shake vigorously until blended.
- Pour dressing over slaw mix and toss until everything is coated.
- Serve immediately. You want the slaw to maintain its crunchy goodness. So wait to dress the vegetables until right before serving.
