Never the Same Way Twice Coleslaw

Today, I’m sharing a recipe called Never the Same Way Twice Coleslaw. I’m doing this because every time I make coleslaw, someone will ask me for the recipe. While that sounds nice, when I shrug and say, I never make it the same way twice, they nearly always get a little frustrated with me. And that’s not good.

Coleslaw is something I love making but I truly wing it every single time. So, it makes sharing a recipe a challenge. Today’s recipe is a solution. I’m providing the guidelines I use to construct crazy good slaws so that you can do the same. After I walk you through the steps, I give a sample recipe called Sesame Slaw. I hope you have fun with the guidelines. Remember unlike RULES, they are meant to be bent!

Coleslaw is great in summer with barbecued and grilled food. It’s great in winter because cabbage is a fantastic over-winter vegetable. In spring, it’s fab when you can throw in some fresh herbs. When fall rolls around again, you apples or pears can jazz it up. Read on to learn to play with your ingredients. You’ll soon be creating your own coleslaws that people will crave.

Never the Same Way Twice Coleslaw

Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 – 8 servings

Equipment: cutting board, chef’s knife, bowls, measuring spoons

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For the slaw:

So, obviously, to start, we need some kind of cabbage or cabbage equivalent:

4 cups total – one or more of the following: green cabbage And/Or purple cabbage And/Or Napa Cabbage And/Or Bok Choy

Then we need some kind of complimentary crunch:

1 cup total – 1 or more of the following: diced celery And/Or fennel bulb And/Or carrots

Next up, a member of the onion family:

1 cup total – 1 or more of the following: diced green onion And/Or red onion And/Or shallots And/Or Vidalia or Yellow Onion

Now, let’s throw in some herbs:

3-4 Tablespoons total – 1 or more of the following: chopped parsley And/Or fennel fronds And/Or cilantro And/Or chives And/Or dill And/Or tarragon

Now let’s add some nuts, seeds or dried fruit:

3-4 Tablespoons – 1 or more of the following: chopped nuts, And/Or sesame seeds And/Or dried cranberries And/Or raisons

And if you’re really going for it, add a surprise vegetable or fruit you want to use up:

1 cup total – 1 or more of the following: sliced bell peppers And/Or cucumbers And/Or apples And/Or citrus wedges And/Or pomegranate arils

Now for the dressing:

Start with a good quality mayonnaise:

½ cup mayo (you can make it vegan with an olive oil base)

Then add some dairy or another fat:

½ cup plain Greek yogurt OR regular plain yogurt OR olive oil or other favourite oil

Then add a flavouring:

2 Tablespoons sesame oil OR 2 teaspoons mustard OR 1 teaspoon ground cumin And/Or 1 teaspoon chopped ginger or garlic

Add a bit of heat:

1 Tablespoon sambal olek OR Gochujang OR chilli sauce OR chopped jalapeno

Compliment with sweet:

1 Tablespoon honey OR sugar OR maple syrup

Add a bit of citrus tartness or vinegar acid:

1 – 2 Tablespoons lemon or lime juice OR apple cider or rice wine vinegar

Don’t forget to spice:

If you want to compliment an Indian meal, add a little ground cumin. Always, finish by tasting and adjusting with good old salt and pepper.

Here’s a recipe example of how to use these guidelines: We’ll call it – Sesame Slaw

For the Sesame Slaw in this photo, I used the following:

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