#39: Oriental Cabbage Salad

I used to have this notion that salad greens can only be lettuce. Whatever its first name is, so long as its last name is lettuce, then that's what you can use for salads: Romaine lettuce, Iceberg lettuce, Butterhead lettuce and so on. Otherwise, there are the more expensive and equally hard-to-find greens (at least here in the Philippines) such as the alfalfa, arugula, rocket, mustard, chard.. most of these I haven't even seen yet in person! I only see this whenever I watch Jaime Oliver! He has his own organic veggie garden, so.. oh well.

Going back, my brain was stuck in this idea that leafy salads only belong to the upscale Filipino dining table. That was until one of my mentors Kuya Hubert Cheock introduced me  to this clever little salad  made from our featured ingredient: CABBAGE!
He was doing a 30-day raw diet program and I happen to be in their house while he was feasting on this asian-inspired salad. I took a peek, gave sniff and eventually tasted it (kunwari pa, gusto namang humingi...) and it changed the way I look at cabbage. Tangy, sweet, crunchy and healthy!

Cabbage need not only be in your brothy dishes anymore. It can also shine and stand fabulously on its own! This leafy vegetable is low in sodium, calories and cholesterol, while being high in antioxidants as well as thiamin, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, and potassium. Amazingly, it is also high in calcium content which makes it perfect for the person who doesn't consume many dairy products.

Oriental Cabbage Salad

Pawis level: 1

Sosy level: 4

Featured Ingredient: Cabbage

Will supply a good serving of fiber to four people. :-D

Ingredients:

1/2 k fresh head of cabbage

3 tsps vinegar

2 tbsps fermented soy sauce (but if you don't have the fermented type, it will do, but the fermented soy sauce just tastes so much better!)

2 tbsps honey

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

a dash of pepper

1 tbsp sunflower nuts

1/2 tsp roasted sesame seeds, crushed (optional)

1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)

How to:

1. Cut the cabbage in quarters and clean thoroughly in water. Let it drip dry for 15 minutes or if you have a nifty salad spinner, then spin away!

2. Mix all liquid ingredients together and quickly whisk to blend the flavor. Add the pepper, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

3. Get your dry cabbage and using you clean hands, tear the leaves into bite-sized salad pieces. Toss it with the dressing then sprinkle with the nuts (sesame seeds and chili flakes, if you opt to).

This is best paired with fried or grilled meat dishes. As you can see in my picture, I had it with old-fashioned fried chicken. This is simply refreshing!