Cole Slaw

[fifi]

I love cole slaw. I hate sweet cole slaw.

I have a recipe from many years ago that a college room mate's mother used to make. It included onion and the dressing was one half mayo and one half Italian dressing. I loved it.

This recipe in the Houston Chronicle this week was recommended to me by a friend. (Scroll down.) I just made it and it is really wonderful. I added a little more heat to the mix. It is good now but I can see that it will be better tomorrow. I also think that this one would be terrific with added shrimp or crab meat.

Any more recipes out there for cole slaw that isn't sweet?

[Comfort Me]

I'm going to throw this out there, too.

My lovely German Grandmother used to make the best cole slaw -- she chopped the cabbage by hand, and her dressing was vinegar, sugar, and possibly water, but I don't know what else. It wasn't a hot dressing. And it was sweet and tangy. The only place I've been with similar slaw is White Fence Farm, South of Chicago. (Famous in the Heartland)

If anyone knows how they do it, I'd love to know.

[Brad Ballinger]

Cabbage, vinegar, salt, pepper, a bit of oil, a bit of sugar.

No Mayo!

That would be cabbage salad, and not cole slaw.

[ludja]

My lovely German Grandmother used to make the best cole slaw -- she chopped the cabbage by hand, and her dressing was vinegar, sugar, and possibly water, but I don't know what else.  It wasn't a hot dressing.  And it was sweet and tangy. 

I like German Coleslaw also--light on the sugar though. Can also add caraway seeds. And like Brad Ballinger mentions, German slaw would also have some salt and pepper and oil in addition to the vinegar and sugar.

(When desparate to have some and too lazy to make, I'll doctor up our supermarket's slaw which happens in this case to not be too bad--I usually need to add vinegar though).

For my 'basic' mayo-type slaw I gravitated to a southern-style which uses a boiled dressing based on cider vinegar and that has celery seeds. The cider vinegar and celery seeds bring a great flavor. And the boiled dressing coats the cabbage nicely but without being as heavy as mayo. I use less sugar than the recipe b/c I also detest overly sweet slaw.

Old-Fashioned Carolina Coleslaw w/Celery seed dressing

1 medium cabbage; trimmed, cored and sliced thnly

Dressing:

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp powdered mustard

3 Tbs sugar (as mentioned above, I use less, start w/1 Tbs and taste)

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup boiling cider vinegar

1 Tbs butter

1 1/2 tsp celery seeds

In top of double boiler, lightly beat eggs and mix in dried mustard, salt and sugar. Stir in cream. Then add in vinegar in a slow stream, constantly whisking. Continue heating and stir over simmering water 5-7 minutes until mixture is the consistency of stirred custard. Off-heat, mix in butter and celery seeds.

Pour warm dressing over cabbage and mix. Cover and chill 2-3 hrs. Toss again before serving.

I also like asian style coleslaws that I've had in restaurants. A few recipe ides are in this previous thread click

Also, I just remembered a nice slaw that a few restaurants make around here--may sound weird but it's good: A basic mayo-vinegar slaw, a little spice w/cayenne and roasted peanuts! It may not be traditional but its good with things like bbq, etc.

Guess it took e-gullet (and your post) to make me realize I had this many thoughts on slaw!

Now I wonder where the name for cole slaw comes from.....

Edited January 30, 2004 by ludja (log)

[Basilgirl]

I make a Salvadoran coleslaw. It is served with pupusas but has become my slaw of choice. It's called "curtido." Google and you should find a lot of recipes. It's basically cabbage, carrots, vinegar, hot pepper relish, pepper flakes and oregano.

[ludja]

This recipe in the Houston Chronicle this week was recommended to me by a friend. (Scroll down.) I just made it and it is really wonderful. I added a little more heat to the mix. It is good now but I can see that it will be better tomorrow. I also think that this one would be terrific with added shrimp or crab meat.

Hmmm, just checked out the recipe you posted. Looks great and the idea of adding some shrimp sounds good. I want to try this!

[sfmiller]

My lovely German Grandmother used to make the best cole slaw -- she chopped the cabbage by hand, and her dressing was vinegar, sugar, and possibly water, but I don't know what else.

My German grandmother made it like that too. Cabbage (no other vegetables), white vinegar (or sometimes fresh lemon juice), sugar, salt, and pepper. That was all. It was quite sweet, but this was a household that sprinkled sugar on dead-ripe tomatoes!

My recipe/method for nonsweet coleslaw involves marinating the vegetables (mostly cabbage but also carrots, onion, sometimes a bit of celery or bell pepper or apple) in:

(approximate measures)

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt (more than you think you need, but most gets drained off)

black pepper

pinch of chile flakes

Leave this at room temperature for an hour or more. The salt pulls a lot of water from the cabbage and makes it more tender. Drain excess marinade and adjust seasonings. Eat as is (no fat, and good BBQ slaw that way) or enrich with mayo, sour cream, etc.

There's a similar version in Julia Child's The Way to Cook.

Curtido is great stuff too, especially if made with really fresh cabbage. I go to my friendly neighborhood pupusa joint mostly to eat the curtido (tho the pupusas aren't bad either).

[hjshorter]

I make mine with safflower oil, sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, cilantro, thinly sliced red onion, grated carrot, finely shredded cabbage, and slivered red & jalapeno peppers. The rice vinegar adds a faint sweetness without adding sugar to the dressing. No measurements - I prepare as much of the veggies as I want, then eyeball the dressing. Approx 1:1 ratio oil to vinegar - I like my cole slaw much more tart than my salads.

[fifi]

Oooo... celery seeds. That sounds like a good addition. My mother always put celery seeds in her killer potato salad.

[Susan in FL]

True Confession... Cole slaw dressing is the one thing that I don't make from scratch. I so rarely make cole slaw and when I do, I use bottled dressing and I can't even remember the name brand. Damn, CRS strikes again.

[Mottmott]

I'm going to throw this out there, too.

My lovely German Grandmother used to make the best cole slaw -- she chopped the cabbage by hand, and her dressing was vinegar, sugar, and possibly water, but I don't know what else. It wasn't a hot dressing. And it was sweet and tangy. The only place I've been with similar slaw is White Fence Farm, South of Chicago. (Famous in the Heartland)

If anyone knows how they do it, I'd love to know.

I'll add "me too." My favorite is something call "hot slaw" (though not served warm) from Bookbinders in Philadelphia (15th Street). It fits your description. Perhaps someone here has the recipe.

[jpyvr]

Now I wonder where the name for cole slaw comes from.....

I can answer at least part of that question - where does the name cole slaw come from?

I remember reading a long time ago that the name derives from Dutch. The Dutch word for cabbage is approximately "kohl" (think - kohlrabi) hence "cole". The slaw part I'm not sure I remember correctly. I know that the word was something like "sla" and it means sliced/chopped.

Perhaps there's a Dutch speaker on eGullet who can correct my hatchet job on the language!

[ludja]

Thanks jpvr. I just googled "dutch" plus "coleslaw" and came up with this on www.foodreference .com

"COLE SLAW, COLD SLAW

The reason cole slaw became as popular a side dish as it did in America was due to NYC deli owner Richard Hellmann's 1903 creation of a formula for bottled mayonnaise, which he began marketing in 1912. It became a bestseller, quick and easy to use as a dressing for shredded cabbage, which thereafter became a standard side dish to the increasingly popular sandwiches and hamburgers in American kitchens.

‘American Classics: Cole Slaw’, by John Mariani,

Restaurant Hospitality Magazine 1/97

Cole slaw (cold slaw) got it's name from the Dutch 'kool sla' - 'kool' is cabbage and 'sla' is salad - meaning simply, cabbage salad. In English, that became 'cole slaw' and eventually 'cold slaw'. The original Dutch 'kool sla' was most likely served hot."

Thanks again; I don't think I would have looked or found it otherwise! I didn't have my german speaking cap on; in German, cabbage is "kohl" and is pronounced "cole".

[jpyvr]

Thanks again; I don't think I would have looked or found it otherwise! I didn't have my german speaking cap on; in German, cabbage is "kohl" and is pronounced "cole".

Now this has really got me going. Since cabbage in German is "kohl", then their previous Chancellor's surname was "Cabbage.!" So what could I do but google his first name "Helmut", and consequently found out that it meant "courageous."

Imagine, for all those years, I didn't know that the name of the German Chancellor was "Courageous Cabbage."

[ludja]

Thanks again; I don't think I would have looked or found it otherwise!  I didn't have my german speaking cap on; in German, cabbage is "kohl" and is pronounced "cole". 

Now this has really got me going. Since cabbage in German is "kohl", then their previous Chancellor's surname was "Cabbage.!" So what could I do but google his first name "Helmut", and consequently found out that it meant "courageous."

Imagine, for all those years, I didn't know that the name of the German Chancellor was "Courageous Cabbage."

[johnjohn]

I've never made Cole Slaw before, but have to for a BBQ on Sunday. Does it taste better if made the day ahead or does it get soggy?

[therese]

I've never made Cole Slaw before, but have to for a BBQ on Sunday.  Does it taste better if made the day ahead or does it get soggy?

←

It does get a bit soggy, but a lot of people like it that way since cabbage starts out so very sturdy to begin with and the flavors do blend.

It will give up some water, so you'll want to drain the excess fluid and might consider keeping some extra of whatever dressing you've chosen for re-tossing at the last minute. Or you could just do all the tossing at the last minute, having pre-chopped the cabbage (which will keep just fine in your crisper).

[therese]

For non-creamy coleslaw I use apple cider vinegar, salt, and celery seeds.

For creamy coleslaw I use the above with the addition of plain yogurt. No sugar, bleah.

[Marlene]

Asian Coleslaw. This ends up being nice and tangy even with the honey or maple syrup. You can cut back on either of them if you like.

This is my go to coleslaw for taking to pot lucks and parties. It tends to disppear fairly quickly.

[Dave the Cook]

I've never made Cole Slaw before, but have to for a BBQ on Sunday.  Does it taste better if made the day ahead or does it get soggy?

←

It does get a bit soggy, but a lot of people like it that way since cabbage starts out so very sturdy to begin with and the flavors do blend.

. . . .

←

If you've got an extra hour or two, you could try salting the cabbage. It's pretty effective in minimizing the weeping, and tenderizes the cabbage a bit while preserving the snap.

[CharityCase]

The Surreal Gourmet's Psychedelic Coleslaw is a dramatic and tasty coleslaw variation.

Be warned though, as the red cabbage will stain just about everything in sight, and by the next day the slaw will have lost it's psychedelic qualities and turned red.

Recipe

[plattetude]

Epicurious' Super Slaw has been my go-to slaw for the past few years. Always wins raves. Peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, and garlic really give it a neat Asian-inspired twist. Yum.

Christopher

[fifi]

Boy, am I glad this got bumped up. I am after my favorite restaurant to include an option for a non-sweet slaw and I am going to build on this. The Asian twist has promise as does salting the cabbage. I think we are going in the right direction here.

[DRColby]

In one of the Williams Snoma cookbooks there is a recipe calling for Napa cabbage, red vinegar, heavy cream, sugar and cumin seeds. They don't call it cole slaw, but it makes a great salad with grilled food.

In fact we are grilling tomorrow and I think I'll serve this with some marinated red onions thrown in.

Dave

[Milagai]

there's a twist on the traditional south indian

kosumalli where you can add shredded cabbage

to the grated carrots (instead of or in addition to

grated cucumber).

then season with tarka of mustard seeds, hing,

curry leaves, red chillies, urad dal

and add salt, lemon juice, cilantro.

addictive!

milagai