Karl’s Japanese Coleslaw

Last week, I was being Papa’s Uber for Eilene—she was being paid to be a professional “pedestrian,” during an autonomous vehicle test. While I waited for her, I was pursuing the cookbooks at the library. One of the books was Everyday Harumi.

Karl’s Japanese Coleslaw

I found several recipes that interested me. Tonight, Jan asked for teriyaki hamburgers and I decided that I needed a salad to go with the beef and rice. Harumi’s recipe for Japanese coleslaw sounded like a good match—while I pretty much kept the dressing, I changed almost every other element of the salad.

Karl’s Japanese Coleslaw

Ingredients

Dressing

¼ cup rice vinegar, unseasoned
1 Tbs. mirin
1 tsp. light soy sauce, Japanese
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. sugar
Pinch Kosher salt
Pinch black pepper

3 cups napa cabbage
½ cup daikon radish
½ cup celery, sliced finely (with leaves)
2 green onions, sliced finely
1 yellow peach

1 tsp. black sesame (optional)

Directions

1. Measure the dressing ingredients into a lidded jar and shake to mix.

2. Let the dressing meld, while you prepare the other vegetables.

Tip: Shake the jar frequently to keep the dressing emulsified.

3. Shred the cabbage and daikon and place them in a salad bowl.

Tip: A vegetable shredder is very useful to quickly make fine matchsticks of daikon.

4. Peel the peach and cut it into julienne matchsticks—about an ⅛ of an inch.

5. Put the sliced celery, onions, and peach into the bowl with the cabbage and daikon.

Note: If your celery still has some leaves chop them up and throw them in the salad. The bitter leaves add an interesting counterbalance to the sweetness of the peach.

6. Pour the dressing and toss to coat  the fruit and vegetables.

7. Let the salad meld for 10-15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

8. Garnish with black sesame and serve.