Thai Style Cole Slaw

Fusion has becoming a trend in the foodie world.  This is mainly due to the adaptation of flavor, texture, or taste to accommodate the general public's palate.  At the same time, more and more Americans are exposed to ethnic foods through its myriad of immigrant population.  As a result, some chefs in the States have integrated two or more different cuisines or ingredients and come up with a new flavor and dish.  Chef Ming Tsai from his PBS show - Simply Ming calls it "East meets West".  Of course, fusion food actually is not a new phenomenon.  Older immigrants from Italy, England, Germany, and others had already influenced many of the American staple foods.  We would generally label them as "American" because of the fact that these fusion of food or ingredients have been long assimilated into the mainstream.

In any case, this Thai style cole slaw recipe is one of them.  The recipe comes from my culinary class.  It makes a good side dish or salad to either Western or Asian main course or BBQ.  It has a combination of peanut, sweet and tangy flavors and the texture is similar to regular cole slaw - crunchy.

Ingredients:
Dressing

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar packed
• 1 Tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 ea. Serrano or Thai chili, seeded and minced

Slaw

• 2 cups green cabbage, thinly slice
• 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 ea. red bell pepper, thin julienne
• 1 ea. carrot, thin julienne
• 3 ea. green onion, think julienne
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup peanuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

Direction:

1. Whisk dressing ingredients into a medium bowl to blend
2. Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes for flavors to combine
3. Combine the first 5 slaw ingredients in a bowl and toss to blend
4. Add dressing and toss to coat
5. Season with salt & pepper 
6. Garnish with cilantro and peanuts

This recipe is courtesy of Mission College, Santa Clara, CA - Basic Food Preparation course in Hospitality Management Program