Red Cabbage and Carrot Salad

Cabbage is an underrated yet wonderful vegetable. Packed with fiber, low calorie in calories and carbs, with a ton of vitamin C and nutrition, it keeps well in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks.

Gujaratis love their cabbage and use it in multiple ways. However, I never saw red cabbage while growing up. I discovered it in the US and interchange it with green cabbage every now and then, particularly in the fall when its jewel tones shine.

Here is my contemporary take on it that pairs well with all kinds of cuisines. It is a side dish.

To cut the cabbage: Remove all the tough outer leaves. Wash the cabbage and pat it dry. Now you can do what my mother’s generation did—which is remove as many leaves as you might need, starting with 4-5 leaves for a small head. Cut out the tough stems in the leaves. Stack and cut the leaves into roughly 1 inch strips. Take each stack and slice it as thinly as you can without cutting yourself. Or cut a wedge and slice.

Pairings

• Part of a mezze spread
• As a side dish with whole grains, beans, vegetables
• With upma or polenta
• With a stuffed paratha, thepla, rotla (bajri, jowar)
• Naan and palak panner
• Cheese on toast (with finely chopped peppers, zucchini, olives)
• Grilled cheese sandwich (instead of coleslaw)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrot (about 1 large carrot—though they do come in all sizes!)
• 2 cups very thinly sliced red cabbage (see above)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons turbinado or light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• A pinch of red pepper
• A pinch of ground black pepper
• 2-3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
• Nuts are optional and do add a nice texture as well as nuttiness (slivered or sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, pine nuts, cashews, pistachios—whatever you have or want)
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds, if you have them, but not essential

Method

1. Put everything in a large mixing bowl. Rub it all in, massage the vegetables with the salt and sugar and everything else, except the nuts and pomegranate seeds.
2. Let it sit for 30 minutes or overnight. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Make it your own with your own take on it!
3. Add the nuts and pomegranate, if using, before serving

Preparation time: 10-20 minutes plus depending on chopping skills. There is no cooking.

Makes about 3 cups