This is a really versatile salad that goes with pretty much any cuisine, including Middle Eastern, Asian, Southern, Mexican, South American and European. It’s my standard “go to” salad because I pretty much always have red cabbage in the fridge (because it lasts for weeks!).
I know cabbage can have a reputation for being a really boring vegetable and I distinctly have memories from my childhood of picking through food to avoid eating even the tiniest piece of cabbage. However, once I grew out of my bratty-picky-eating-phase and left the nest to fend for myself, cabbage became a pantry staple (well, refrigerator staple). Every week, along with onions, garlic and potatoes, cabbage always makes its way into my shopping basket.
Why, you might ask? Because it stays fresh for ages and it’s so versatile! Just to clarify, I’m talking about ordinary cabbage – green/white and purple cabbage – not Chinese cabbage (which is versatile, but doesn’t stay fresh for as long). Cabbage usually lasts for around 3 weeks in my fridge. Sure the edges will get a bit dry but it’s an easy fix just to slice off a thin shaving.
“Refreshing, colourful and with a great crunch, this is a great standby salad because it goes with pretty much any cuisine.”
As for versatility, when you put your mind to it (as I am briefly doing as I write this post), it truly is amazing how many dishes and cuisines use cabbage. It’s in classic Chinese dishes (like Chow Mein), European salads like Sauerkraut, Mexican style salads, Middle Eastern salads, Portuguese soup, Okonokiyaki (Japanese pancake) – and of course, the classic coleslaw. And this is just scratching the surface!
This is one of the quick salads I make which is basically my “go to” salad for any meal. It is refreshing, crunchy and delightfully colourful, and takes minutes to put together. I honestly can say that I can’t think of a single dish that this wouldn’t go with. The only thing you might change up is the herb. I made this particular one with mint, but I will use any herb I have on hand or is leftover from the meal I am making.
“I made this as part of a multi-course Middle Eastern feast as a side salad and to stuff into wraps with grilled meat.”
I made this as part of an Arabian Feast menu which I’ll be sharing in the coming weeks (psst, it’s a 7 dish make ahead feast prepared in 1 hour!). It is absolutely fabulous to have as a side salad and also to use to stuff into wraps with the Lamb Koftas and Chicken Sharwama, plus of course it’s so bright that it perks up any spread. Here’s a little preview of the Feast.
Arabian Feast – 7 dishes prepared in 1 hour. Clockwise from top left: Hummus, Herb Chili Feta, Red Cabbage Carrot Salad, Lamb Koftas, Spiced Chickpea Salad, Chicken Sharwarma, Chargrilled Vegetable Platter
1 Hour Arabian Feast Menu
To Nibble
- Classic Hummus
- Herb Chili Feta
- Chargrilled Vegetable Platter (coming soon!)
For the Men to Grill
- Lamb Koftas
- Chicken Sharwarma (coming soon!)
Because we must have Greens (and cater for Vegetarians)
- Shredded Red Cabbage Carrot Salad (this recipe!)
- Spiced Chickpea Salad
I’ll be preparing a post rounding up the full menu and explaining how to prepare it in 1 hour, how to store it and what needs to be done on the day.
Don’t forget to pick up some cabbage today!! – Nagi
- 4 cups finely shredded red/purple cabbage
- 1 carrot , julienned
- Handful of mint leaves , roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
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Combine Salad ingredients in a bowl.
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Add Dressing ingredients, then toss to combine.
1. The mint can be substituted with any other herb you prefer or that you think will suit the dishes that you are making.
2. When I am making Asian dishes, sometimes I substitute the lemon with limes and/or the olive oil with another more neutral flavoured oil such as grapeseed or canola oil.
3. Nutrition per serving.
Hi. Just making this…..is it olive oil or extra virgin olive oil you use please? Thanks.
Extra virgin 🙂 N x
I had just been to the local farmers market and stumbled upon some organic mint, picked that morning! So I knew I had to finally try this salad…super easy, and super delicious! Thanks Nagi for another healthy, yummy dish 👍
So glad you enjoyed this Dee! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Made Chicken Shawarma tonight with hummus, flatbread and garlic sauce. Thumbs up all around. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know! N xx
What happened to your Chicken Sharwarma recipe?! I made it once before and it was delicious! I’ve got my chicken thighs defrosting in hopes of making it to grill out this weekend. Could you please repost? Thank you!!
Hi Nagi!
Can you make this salad the day before and is it best to add dressing just before serving? Also can you make lamb koftas be made day ahead and then heated in microwave when ready to serve? Thanks!
Yes! This works great to assemble then dress just before! Kostas reheat quite well, but I really do like making them fresh when possible! N xx
Hi Nagi! Made this salad as part of your Arabian Feast on the weekend for some friends. I prepared it the night before and dressed it about an hour before serving. It was so colourful and fresh with the other dishes. Loved the middle eastern chicken sharwama which I also marinated the night before and all ready for the BBQ next day! Perfect and flavours were delicious! Also made the lentil rice that you suggest the night before and heated in microwave just before serving. It was so easy and quick to make and went well with the other dishes. Also loved the chickpea tomato salad and my home made hommus! I had a pumpkin and feta salad too with honey and yoghurt which fitted in well with the theme! The chicken wrapped in Lebanese bread with dollops of other things on the table was so delicious and enjoyed by all! Thanks for your fabulous recipes! I can’t wait to try more. I’ll definitely be having the Arabian feast again!
AWESOME!!!! 🙌🏻 Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know Michelle!! N xx ❤️
Nagi, you know I adore & respect you….but I had zero, zero, ZERO desire to try this recipe. Just blah. Meh. Yuck. That said, my spouse has requested a LOT more veggies & colour in our food. Not that either was lacking…we’re just trying to eat less meat & MORE veggies. Anyway, this is a TERRIFIC salad!! OMGosh!! How is it possible that it’s so simple, yet so yummy!? It really is a delicious flavour. I was meticulous in making sure the cabbage was thin (I think that helps) but I can’t imagine this being easily messed up. The mint is so delightful! I don’t enjoy prefer mint, but it is flawless in this recipe.
You HAD ME Josie!!! I thought – “if she doesn’t like the look of this, WHY is she leaving me a message about it??” HURRAH so glad you enjoyed it Josie, you ROCK!!! PS Agree re: finely chopping cabbage 🙂 N x
I love the freshness and the colours in this salad Nagi!
Thanks Chelsey!!
Arabian dinner is a great idea! I am going to do this too. I’ll wait for the rest of your recipes! : )
Oh – I published them all! Can you see the links in the post??
This looks really healthy! Do you have any tips on shredding vegetables quickly? I tend to shy away from anything shredded because I think it takes too long to shred vegetables, but if you have any tips I’d love to try!
I would think you are pretty hand with the knife Sarah!! I just use make sure I start with a stack of cabbage around 2 inches / 4 cm thick, lay it flat then as I am moving the knife up and down to shred the cabbage, the tip of the knife stays on the cutting board (i.e. so you only move the handle end up and down). By doing this you can maintain better control of the knife and cut things finer 🙂
Thanks for the tip Nagi! I dice vegetables similarly but am not too fast at it. I’ll have to practice chopping a bit faster so I eat more shredded vegetables!
Hi Sarah – I also hate shredding veggies but do use them a lot. My sister gave me this amazing electrical shredder I use all the time. It’s so easy to shred a TON of veggies (I use it for potatoes, yams, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, cabbage, fresh beets, etc.) And it’s very easy to clean the machine if you do it right after you’re done shredding – just take apart, rinse parts in cold water and place in drain to dry.
You can get a machine at any store that sells kitchen appliances: WalMart, Target, Sears, etc. Don’t go to high-end store like Macy’s unless you don’t mind paying more. You can also get one for great price online (I’d try Amazon first).
Hope this helps!
I really should pull out my shredder more often! I rarely bother 🙂 But I should because it will encourage me to eat more vegetables (because anything shredded is so much more delicious!) 🙂
Hi Sarah,
I used a mandolin to shred the cabbage and carrot for this salad, so that’s another option for you 😊