When my daughter was very little she had her likes and dislikes of the vegetables. Like most moms I did my best to introduce a variety of fresh vegetables to her gradually and in subtle ways. I wanted her to grow up eating and appreciating all the fresh and delicious vegetable and gradually build healthy eating habits. To accomplish this I used to ask her to try “just one bite” of any of the vegetables that she didn’t like and gradually she grew to like just about every single one of those veggies that she was not too crazy about as a very young child; liking beets is still a work in progress!
I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that Coleslaw, or Salad Kalam in Farsi was a winner with her from the get go. She really didn’t care for cabbage (kalam) that much in any other dish but the combination of flavors and crunch in the coleslaw appealed to her from a young age. She used to ask for coleslaw in the restaurants whenever we ate out. She is a young woman now and I still make my Creamy Coleslaw as a side whenever I make one of her favorite BBQ dishes. So recently I made this for her birthday with my BBQ Ribs again like many times before and it was a big hit as usual!
This Coleslaw makes a perfect side dish for many grilled or broiled meats. I have used sliced mild-flavored shallots in this recipe instead of the red onions. They give a very nice contrast to the slightly sweet dressing without being sharp and overpowering. All the flavors come together when the coleslaw is chilled for a short time in the refrigerator before serving. The dressing is sweetened with brown sugar that goes very nicely with the zing of apple cider vinegar. Adding sour cream to the mayonnaise in the recipe makes it very creamy. Sometimes I replace the sour cream with Greek yogurt to save some calories!
Chill the Creamy Coleslaw in the refrigerator for couple of hours and enjoy it with a variety of grilled and broiled meats, or as a side with your favorite sandwich.
Chill time 1-2 hours
Yield: 5-6 servings
- ½ large green cabbage shredded thin, then cut into about 1 ½-inch long pieces
- 2 medium shallots, sliced thin
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
- FOR THE DRESSING
- 3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBSP plus 1 tsp (packed) brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Pinch of ground cayenne pepper (about 1/16 tsp)
- Pinch of kosher salt (about 1/16 tsp)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- GARNISH
- Finely chopped fresh parsley
- Discard any of the top cabbage leaves that are wilted or discolored. Rinse the whole cabbage under cold water and pat dry with paper towel.
- Place the cabbage on a sturdy flat surface and cut it in half from stem to tip. Wrap one of the halves tightly in plastic and refrigerate for chopping into salads or some other use. Remove the core from the other half with the point of a sharp knife and discard.
- Place the cabbage cut side down on a cutting board. Slice it as thin as you can with a sharp knife. Cut across the shredded pieces 3-4 times so you end up with about 1 ½ -inch pieces.
- Add the cabbage to a large bowl. Add the sliced shallots and grated carrot. Toss the vegetables together before adding the dressing.
- To make the dressing add brown sugar, vinegar, freshly cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt to a small bowl. Whisk very well until brown sugar is dissolved.
- Add the mayonnaise and sour cream to the bowl and continue whisking until very smooth.
- Adjust the salt and peppers to your taste.
- Pour the dressing over the prepared vegetables and toss to coat uniformly. Sprinkle finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish. Cover and chill for couple of hours before serving.
Like your daughter, I love coleslaw, all kinds of it! Creamy dressing sounds wonderful! I love the dish it is served in! 🙂
Fae, I’m so glad to meet another coleslaw lover! And about the dish … “pishkesh”:))