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Spectacular Summer Slaw
My sister Susan mentioned the original version of this slaw, (Poolside Sesame Slaw) published by Smitten Kitchen. Her photos looked so appealing and after reviewing the dressing ingredients (miso, tahini, sesame oil, etc.) and the raw chopped colorful vegetables – I had to make it.
It has been three weeks since I had this the first time and I have since tweaked and changed the formula for my taste buds and for the other senior citizen who lives in my house. Said male does not like certain spicy flavorings (i.e. sriracha) or fresh ginger in large amounts. I have to say that even with the changes I made, I really love this slaw. Today we had it stuffed inside homemade flour tortillas. It is good alone, with sliced grilled chicken or tofu or seafood or meat – cook’s choice.
My only requirements when making this is that I use a variety of colors. Personally I love yellow and red sweet peppers but my daughter is allergic to all but green peppers. I punched up the color with purple cabbage, carrots, snap peas, fresh corn kernels and radishes. Use whatever is raw and in your refrigerator. This makes an excellent bring-to-a-picnic salad. I now keep a tub of the salad separate from the dressing and a bag of salty peanuts and/or toasted pumpkin seeds to add at the end.
Summer Vegetable Slaw
Dressing Ingredients*
- ½ tsp peeled minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons well-stirred tahini (I always use Soom tahini)
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons olive or neutral oil such as grapeseed
- Salt and ground pepper to taste
*Full disclosure: I did not measure a single ingredient here—fuller disclosure, I am good at guessing amounts after all these years of cooking. You decide.
Slaw Ingredients
- 4 cups thinly sliced mixed veggies: peeled carrots, English or persian cucumber, celery, yellow or red bell peppers, sugar snap peas and/or snow peas, fresh kernels of corn, radishes. As long as you get 4 cups total, use any quantities you desire of each individual vegetable.
- 2 cups thinly sliced red or napa cabbage.
- I add some thinly sliced dinosaur kale or spinach just because
To serve
- 1 cup chopped salted peanuts
- Handful chopped fresh chopped herbs if you like to add at the end
Dressing Instructions:
Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar whisk until smooth. Taste and add more of anything you need. You should have about ¾ – 1 cup of Miso Sesame Dressing.
Salad Instructions:
Holding back the peanuts and herbs until you begin to toss the salad. Add all ingredients into a large bowl and combine with half of the dressing, adding some or all of the remaining dressing to taste. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Do ahead: The dressing and chopped vegetables (except the cilantro, which might wilt faster), can be stored separately and will keep for up to five days in the fridge. Mine never lasts that long.
