Sweet and Spicy Cabbage & Mandarin Salad

Finally the days are getting longer and warmer again. Even though, here in California, the sun is out most days of the year there are distinct noticeable differences throughout the seasons. By the beach we experience what Los Angelinos call May-Gray, it can be one of the coolest months of the year. Now that the misty ocean fog has finally lifted I feel it’s time to start salad season.

I’m obsessed with the combo of cabbage and citrus fruit (there will be more recipes) at the moment. This Asian Cabbage & Mandarin salad is so flavorful, hearty and refreshing. If you like food that hits all the tastebuds simultaneously then this is for you. Sweet and juicy mandarins coupled with fragrant cilantro, crunchy roasted peanuts all tossed in a vietnamese(ish) dressing that is tangy, sweet and spicy all at the same time. It’s seriously addictive.

This salad works well on it’s own, but since I serve it as a main course, I love adding chicken to it. I’ll include the chicken in this recipe but it works equally well with tofu or tempeh if you’d like to make it vegan.

For an even more substantial meal, make it a rice noodle salad. Prepare half the amount of salad, then simply scoop some cooked noodles in a bowl and top with the salad, chicken & dressing.

Mandarins and cabbage - They are in season over the colder winter months between November-April, so in theory this is a winter salad. I make this as soon as the sun peeks out. During April you’re still able to get ahold of some of the best citrus fruit around, especially here in California. Spoilt for choice, I’ve decided to use sumo citrus in this recipe, but feel free to experiment with the fruit. You can substitute the mandarins with tangelos, satsumas, clementines and even oranges. If you live in Southern California try “Ojai pixies” they are my absolute favorite tangerine. You can find them at selected Farmers Markets and Wholefood and Gelson’s stores. Try the recipe with fresh (medium ripe) mango if you’re not a fan of citrus fruit. It tastes equally delicious!

A word about segmenting or ‘filleting’ citrus fruit. I love fiddly work that requires lots of patience, but not when I’m preparing a quick lunch. This is how I prepare and cut up my mandarins: Chop off top and bottom of the fruit, then run a sharp knife along the sides, generously cutting off the peel including the skin that covers the flesh. Then I simply cut it in half, pull out the white ‘stringy bits’ and slice into half moons.

If you’d like to learn how to fillet a citrus fruit properly you can watch this helpful video here

NB This applies to all my recipes: Quantities are only rough indications, please adjust to your taste. Every time I follow a recipe to the letter (baking not included) something goes wrong, so I tend to rely on my intuition and taste buds. My recipes are not difficult and often just require assembly, so don’t worry about making ‘mistakes’ just follow your buds :-)

Cabbage & Mandarin Salad Recipe

Ingredients

Salad

• 2-3 cups White/green cabbage (finely chopped)

• 1-2 carrots (finely julienned or grated)

• 3-4 tangerines/mandarins (sliced or segmented)

• handful shredded cooked chicken

• ½ cup (honey) roasted peanuts (roughly chopped)

• handful chopped fresh cilantro/coriander

• handful chopped fresh mint

• handful chopped fresh thai basil (subst. regular basil)

• handful chopped green onion (green section)

Dressing

• 1 lime (juiced)

• 1-2 garlic cloves (crushed)

• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger (grated)

• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 2-3 tsp nam pla (fish sauce)

• 1 red chile (or dried chilli flakes)

Instructions

There’s not much that can go wrong. Chop the veggies to your liking. I like my cabbage finely sliced but not chopped and my carrots julienned. Toss all the veggies and herbs into a bowl. Top with a handful of each chicken and fruit, then sprinkle with some chopped peanuts. I like to serve the dressing on the side since the salad gets soggy quite quickly with the salty dressing drawing water from the vegetables.

Dressing: simply mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Go easy on the Nam Pla to start with. It’s really salty. Taste often to adjust the seasoning. Same thing with the chiles. I like to remove some of the seeds before chopping the chile to dial down the heat a little. But you do you. When using dried chilli flakes, I measure roughly a teaspoon.

You may need more or less dressing depending on personal preference and whether you’re bolstering your salad with extras.

Ideas for extra ingredients are:

• Chopped broccoli florets

• Brown button mushrooms

• Edamame

• Red pepper

Chicken: You can either buy ready cooked chicken or follow this simple roasted chicken thigh recipe. It’s super easy and the chicken turns out perfectly and super juicy every time:

• Pre-heat the oven to 420•F (215•C). Rub boneless, skinless chicken thighs with salt, pepper and a little olive oil

• Place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper to avoid sticking

• Bake in the middle of the oven for 22-25min

• Let cool then slice or pull into strips

I’m a fan of brown chicken meat and here are 3 reasons why: 1) It’s cheaper than breast, 2) it’s more flavorful and nutritious and 3) it doesn’t dry out like white meat tends to. But by any means, if you prefer your chicken breast, feel free to use that instead.