Kimchi Coleslaw

Most people spend much less time in the kitchen during the sizzling summer months. That’s never been more true for me than now, as I spend my first sweltering summer living in Florida. We had last-minute company yesterday and I needed to whip up something quick to serve with the teriyaki chicken we were grilling.

I grabbed a jar of Melissa’s Kimchi and let it blend in the food processor for a few minutes until it was practically smooth. I added a little mayo and a splash of toasted sesame oil, and in minutes, I had a showstopper dressing. In fact, this umami bomb would be fabulous as a topping for a sandwich or on grilled chicken or meat.

My throw-together salad was quick, easy, and really flexible in terms of substituting different veggies from the fridge when I didn’t have time to run to the store. I typically use Napa cabbage and red cabbage in my coleslaw, but I only had green cabbage and it worked perfectly. To compensate for the loss of bright red cabbage color, I later added red radishes to the mix. Since the Kimchi has plenty of onion flavor, I left out the typical onion add in my coleslaw (except for the small green onion garnish) and used grated radish instead.

I used my food processor to slice the cabbage and the grater attachment for the carrots and radishes. The veggies were prepped in minutes. I just needed a couple minutes of knife work to chop the cilantro and green onion garnish. Voila!

As with many things, the flavor will be even better the next day, if you have leftovers.

Melissa’s Kimchi Coleslaw
Yield: Two quarts or 8 cups
Ingredients

For Dressing:
1 14 oz jar Melissa’s Kimchi (I used Hot, but Mild will be fine)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For Salad:
½ head of green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced, about 12 cups
1 cup grated baby carrots
1 cup grated radish (skin on)
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into short julienne strips

For garnish:
1/4 cup green onion julienne
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

Preparation
For the dressing:
Add the jar of Kimchi to the bowl of a food processor or the jar of a blender. Process or blend for several minutes until the mixture is very smooth. Add the mayonnaise and sesame oil and blend just until smooth. Transfer to a jar and place in the refrigerator. There will be about two cups.
For the salad:
Slice the cabbage and place in a large salad bowl. There will be about 12 cups. (The salad will reduce considerably in volume after combining it with the dressing).
Grate the carrots and radishes. Julienne the Bell pepper. There will be about a cup of each. Add to the cabbage in the large bowl.
Add ¾ of the dressing (1 ½ cups) to the bowl and toss well. Ideally, try to do this an hour in advance; overnight is ok too.

Before serving, toss the salad well and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, and sesame seeds.

The extra dressing can be passed separately or saved for a sandwich or other use. It should keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days.