The Principle of Slaws

Chickpea Tikka served with a white cabbage, fig, parsley and sweet red chilli slaw with a dressing made from yogurt, olive oil, lime juice and ground cumin seeds.

The laws of slaws are really simple. But as with all the other cooking principles it’s crucial to understand the why behind the what, that is, what makes a good slaw a good slaw.

They can be spun in so many variations to accompany and type of meal from curries, tomato based sauces, to chillies. Firstly let’s break the slaw into it elements.

• The type of veggies you are using which typically will, but doesn’t have to, include some kind of cabbage. These are grated or cut into thin stick (julienne).

• Fruit either fresh a dried is optional but can add a really delicious additional flavour dimension. 

• The dressing. Typically creamy, but can also be a vinaigrette type dressing. 

• Fresh herbs and/or spices. Also optional, but as a rule will always bring something good to the flavour party. 

• Seeds and/or nuts. Again optional, but can add a great textural dimension and of course nutritional benefits. 

The MOST COMMON MISTAKES people make with slaws

• The cabbage isn’t sliced thinly enough. The flavour of cabbage is in the cross section of the cell wall. Therefore, if cabbage is sliced too thick you will get less flavour and it will also be harder for your gut to digest. The best tool for slicing cabbage thinly is a) with a sharp knife and good knife skills; b) using a mandolin or a good box grater, or c) using a food processor. We are big fans of the mandolin and really recommend investing in one.

• The cabbage and any other veg isn’t seasoned directly. Adding seasoning and some form of acidity directly onto the veggies you are using makes a huge difference for the final result. In fact we warmly recommend getting up close and personal, especially with cabbage, by giving it a ‘massage’ with salt and either vinegar or citrus juice. This releases flavour and improves digestibility. You do of course want to take into account the amount of seasoning you’ve added directly to the veg when seasoning your dressing. 

Three base dressings

Most super market slaws use straight mayo as a dressings. We find that to be way too rich. It’s not delicious and it isn’t nutritionally sound. So here are some alternative ideas that are much for refined and better for you without in anyway compromising pleasure. Quite the contrary.

Yogurt + olive oil and/or mayo

Roughly five parts yoghurt to one part olive oil. Mayo is optional for adding extra richness. An alternative is an 80/20 mix of yogurt to mayo, which is also really nice. 

To the base dressing things like fresh herbs or spices can then be added. A really great addition is toasted and ground cumin seeds or just ground cumin seeds if you don’t have a pestle and mortar. Bit of lime zest, squeeze of the juice, a spoonful of honey and you are flavour cruisin’! 

Or try lots of freshly chopped mint for a beetroot slaw with orange juice and grated ginger. Carrot is great here too. An outstanding combination for any curry type dish such as Pulse Kitchen’s Chickpea Tikka. 

Note that yoghurt can be replaced with kefir if you want an extra dose of gut friendly probiotics. 

Celeriac, savoy cabbage and apple with a yoghurt and olive oil dressing. Crushed hazelnuts complement these three ingredients really well and add extra texture.

Tahini + citrus + water 

These three ingredients are the main ones. You can add a little olive oil too, but the tahini has enough richness that it’s not really needed. The amazing thing about this combo is how the water emulsifies into the tahini to create a smooth velvety sauce. Depending on what you are using is for, some grated ginger is a great addition too, and of course you can also play around with things like coriander seed and cumin. 

You start with a suitable quantity of tahini then add citrus juice. How much is really up to your judgement. The more you add the lighter and more sweet/tangy the final result will be depending on the ratio of orange juice to lime or lemon juice. Mandarin juice is also good. Say you were making a dressing for roasted root veg like celeriac and parsnip. These have quite a lot of sweetness when roasted so you’d want to take things in a more tangy direction. If on the other hand you are making a dressing for a slaw based on, say, kale then you can go more to the sweet side to balance out the bitterness of the kale. 

Broccoli, red cabbage, apple and walnut slaw with a tahini, orange, lime and ginger dressing. The little red things are goji berries. It was yummy! Definitely a combo to be had again!

Olive oil + vinegar or citrus

We’re basically talking vinaigrette or citronette here. The ratio is roughly three parts oil to one part of whatever acidity you’re using, though this varies depending on the type of acidity. For instance if you’re using balsamic vinegar that has more sweetness, then you might want to use a bit more than one part to three. 

It’s of course a matter of subjective definition, but for the purpose of these instructions a slaw is defined by how the veggies are cut, i.e. grated or in julienne. 

Lentil bolognese served with a rainbow slaw of carrot, celery, red cabbage, and radishes dressed with olive oil and apple cider vinegar and generously topped with mixed seeds.