Coleslaw is the first recipe in the long messy list at Deb’s Lunch Classic, and I’ve recorded a few variants there, but thought this version, created on a cold Friday in February 2021, deserved its own page.
Spicy coleslaw
- About 6 cups of cabbage, thinly sliced or grated
- 2/3 to a scant cup of grated carrot
- one medium shallot, grated
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 fat pinches of kosher salt
- 1/3 cup lime juice or lemon & lime, mixed
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- a few dashes of cholula
- half a small bunch of cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- fresh ground pepper and more salt, if necessary
Combine the cabbage, carrots, shallot, sugar, and salt in the large bowl (preferably one that fits your colander). Toss everything together, massaging in the salt and sugar with your hands. Transfer the salted & sugared vegetables to a colander – you probably want to do this in the sink to avoid a mess on your counter. Place the colander over a bowl – same bowl, rinsed out, works well – and allow to wilt for at least 2 hours and up to 4. Drain the liquid and clean out the bowl. Put the vegetable mixture back into the bowl, and add the lime juice, cumin, mayonnaise, cilantro, and grind in a generous amount of black pepper. Stir with a fork, taste, and add more salt or anything else if necessary, and chill for as long as you have until you want to serve.
Originally posted February 2021