Sesame Pistachio Slaw
Sesame Pistachio Slaw
To me, cabbage is the most underrated, under-utilized vegetable at the American table.
It’s cheap. It’s versatile. It’s cross-cultural. You can find it fermented (saurkraut, kimchi), stewed (corned beef and cabbage), stuffed (cabbage rolls, egg rolls), or raw (tonkatsu, cole slaw). Inspired by the impossibly thinly shredded cabbage traditionally served with Japanese tonkatsu (pork cutlets), this cabbage dish incorporates deeply savory soy sauce and dried seaweed (nori) with tahini, rice vinegar, and some crushed pistachios for extra crunch. My Japanese-American co-worker and fellow foodie introduced me to shredded cabbage during a recent lunch at Ozakaya in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights. A very sharp knife and an adept chef like this one, along with patience and persistence, can transform an awkward, bulky vegetable into a luxurious, feathery mound of green and white strands. My cabbage is not nearly as razor-thin as theirs, but I got close! I need some practice (and a sharper knife). Make this for an easy side, a cool summer snack, or eat it for dinner with a pan-fried chicken cutlet (or keep it classy with some store-bought chicken nugs). Make extra dressing for dipping and drizzling and you’ll thank me later.
