Shredded Cabbage Slaw
Crisp cabbage and carrot tossed in a bright olive oil-vinegar dressing — no mayonnaise, no cooking.
Ingredients & method
Method
Amounts inside the steps follow the servings dial, so you never have to hold the arithmetic in your head.
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Shred and prep
Shred the 600 g Green cabbage thinly, grate the 100 g Carrot, slice the 2 Scallion and finely chop the 1 Green chilli and a handful of Cilantro.
Thin, even shreds take on the dressing evenly and hold their crunch instead of going tough or watery.
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Salt and rest the cabbage
Toss the shredded 600 g Green cabbage with a pinch of Salt to taste in a large bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes, then tip off any liquid that collects at the bottom.
Salting draws excess water out of the cabbage up front, so the finished slaw stays crisp instead of turning soggy in the bowl.
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Whisk the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the 3 tbsp Olive oil, 2 tbsp Vinegar, 1 tbsp Lemon juice, 1 tsp Sugar, Salt to taste and Black pepper to taste until the sugar dissolves.
Emulsifying the dressing separately means every strand of cabbage gets a little of everything, rather than pockets of raw vinegar or oil.
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Toss and chill
Add the 100 g Carrot, 2 Scallion and 1 Green chilli to the rested cabbage, pour over the dressing and toss well. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes.
A short rest in the fridge lets the dressing soften the raw cabbage just enough to mellow its bite without losing the crunch.
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Finish and serve
Stir in the a handful of Cilantro just before serving, and taste for salt.
Adding the fresh herb right at the end keeps it bright and green instead of wilting into the slaw.
About
Coleslaw traces back to the Dutch koolsla — kool for cabbage, sla for salad — brought to New Amsterdam (now New York) by Dutch settlers in the late 1600s. The cabbage-and-vinegar idea is older still: a 4th-century BCE Roman recipe dressed chopped cabbage with vinegar, honey and coriander, long before the Dutch name existed. English speakers mangled koolsla into "cold slaw" for a century, since the salad is served chilled, before "coleslaw" settled into place in the 1800s.
This version keeps the original spirit — cabbage, sharpness, crunch — but skips the mayonnaise that American diners and barbecue joints made standard in the 20th century. A light olive oil and vinegar dressing lets the vegetables stay crisp rather than going heavy and creamy, and it keeps well in the fridge for days without turning watery.
Cook’s notes
Salting the cabbage for ten minutes before dressing draws out water so the slaw stays crunchy instead of pooling liquid in the bowl.
Slice the cabbage as thin as you can manage — thick shreds stay tough and don't take on the dressing evenly.
The slaw actually improves after 20-30 minutes as the dressing softens the cabbage slightly; it also holds well overnight, making it a good make-ahead side.
Health benefits
Raw cabbage is a strong source of vitamin C and vitamin K, and contains glucosinolates, plant compounds under study for their role in the body's natural detoxification processes.
Carrot adds beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, along with additional fibre.
Because the dressing is oil-and-vinegar rather than mayonnaise-based, this version carries less saturated fat than a classic creamy slaw, and the olive oil contributes mostly monounsaturated fat.
General information about the ingredients, not advice about you. Nothing here is a medical or dietary recommendation, and no dish treats or prevents any condition. If you are managing a health condition, pregnant, or on a prescribed diet, ask a doctor or a dietitian.
Cons & who should be cautious
Raw cabbage is high in fermentable fibre and can cause bloating or gas in people with a sensitive gut or IBS; cooking softens this effect, which raw slaw does not.
Cabbage contains vitamin K, which can interact with blood-thinning medication such as warfarin — people on these medications should keep portions consistent rather than avoiding it outright.
Very large regular servings of raw cruciferous vegetables are sometimes flagged for people with untreated thyroid conditions, though normal portions are not a concern for most people.
Not a complete allergen declaration. Ingredient lists describe what we used and cannot account for cross-contamination or what your particular brand contains, so check the packaging of everything you cook with.
Nutrition facts (estimated)
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