Crunchy Chinese Cabbage Slaw

Danny Bowien, of Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco serves a  Chinese version of Caesar salad on his menu and here it is adapted a few times over. I fell in love with the anchovy, miso, tahini dressing and I have included that as a kitchen staple dressing that I have been making with great satisfaction. It is especially good on cooked beets and kale.

Crunchy Chinese Cabbage Slaw 

8 servings.

1 head  red cabbage sliced super thin

1 medium-size beet

½ of an english cucumber

6-7 radishes

Juice of 2  lemons

1 teaspoon dried hijiki seaweed

2 teaspoon ume plum vinegar 

4 tablespoons sweet white-miso paste

5 tablespoons tahini

3 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoon tamari

8 anchovy filets, coarsely chopped

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup kasha

3 tablespoons arame ( i used hijiki) seaweed

3 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds

4  tablespoon shio kombu or salted kombu, optional

Pinch of salt, or to taste

Please see that I added a four  tablespoons of seabeet kraut which added a little more flavor

Cut cabbage in half, and remove the core.  Slice very thin and place in a large bowl.

Clean the beet with a vegetable brush  and trim away any tough parts. Slice paper thin. Season beets with half the lemon juice and salt.

Slice the cucumbers and radishes very thin and place in a separate bowl.

add them to the bowl with cabbage. Set aside.

In a small bowl, cover the arame or hijiki seaweed with warm tap water. Allow to bloom for 15 minutes, then drain well, and season with ume vinegar or red-wine vinegar. 

Make sesame-anchovy dressing. Add miso, tahini, rice vinegar, tamari, the remaining lemon juice and the anchovies, and whisk to combine. I added more tahini and lots of lemon juice, so trust your intuition on this.

Dressing should have a thick, almost mayonnaise-like consistency.

Make the kasha. 

Cook the buckwheat as per the instructions on the package. But be careful to make sure that as soon as it is cooked through, to spread it out on a sheet try to stop the cooking process.  While it is hot, season with the seaweed, which should adhere to the kasha. When it has cooled, mix kasha in a small bowl with the toasted sesame seeds and, if using, the shio kombu. Salt to taste.

Make the salad. Add  ½  of the sesame-anchovy dressing to the bowl with the cabbage and the beets, and mix well to combine. Add more dressing if necessary. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl, and sprinkle 4 tablespoons or so of the kasha. Mix well.

NOTE: sliced beets, bok choy leaves, sliced cucumbers and beets and green onion with tucked into the top for “garnish”

Tahini Miso Dressing 

This will make about 23/4 cups of dressing and keep in the fridge for a week.

It is delicious over steamed broccoli rabe, roasted cabbage, cooked carrots and of course salad greens.

3 teaspoon ume plum vinegar 

5 tablespoons sweet white-miso paste - I like South River

⅓ cup tahini - I like Soom Tahini 

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons tamari

8 anchovy filets, - I like white anchovies 

1 clove garlic minced 

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 cup olive oil

Put all in the blender and blend until smooth. You can add more lemon juice or water to thin.