Let me clarify straight away that Coriander is Cilantro and Cilantro is Coriander, they are the same thing. If you are thinking of ground Coriander, that’s actually ground Coriander seeds, from the Coriander plant, aka Cilantro.
Super confused? Excellent. Now let’s talk about ‘slaw!
Coleslaw is my favourite salad, ever. Not the pre-made stuff. That white goop gives me nightmares. But homemade coleslaw and I are best buds.
Why? Because it’s crunchy, peppery, bitter and sweet. It can be creamy or not. It can be spicy or not. It’s always an adventure with coleslaw. Lettuce salads? Sorry but a lot of the time, they’re just a little dull.
The second reason I love coleslaw is that it is the best friend of people on a budget, ya’ll. Students of the world, rejoice!
There’s hardly anything you could buy to eat that’s cheaper than cabbage, carrots and some onion. From there, it’s just a raid of the fridge door to cobble together a dressing and you’re five minutes of slicing away from salad deliciousness.
The third and final reason I love coleslaw is its versatility. This version, with its spicy, tangy sriracha dressing is a personal favourite. I love it because you can plonk any simply-cooked piece of chicken or fish next to a colourful tangle of this slaw, and you have a delicious, interesting and healthy dinner.
But if you want to take things to a more traditional place, then a mustardy mayo dressing would be perfect. Or a Germanic version, with a tangy white wine vinegar and dill dressing – hold the carrots. One of my favourite variations (especially with anything rich and sweet, like ribs) is to swap out all the mayo in my slaw for about half as much sour cream for a light, tangy version.
As you can see, my enthusiasm for coleslaw is boundless. It’s one of those miracle foods to me – a magical means of packing major amounts of vegetables into my diet, without even realising it. It’s like the solid equivalent of a green juice. Though I guess that would just be a green salad…nevermind.
The point is, this slaw.
It’s delicious on a burger, in a rice paper roll, in a banh-mi style sandwich, next to a piece of grilled salmon, or just eaten straight out of the fridge for a lazy lunch.
A big pile of this on a platter makes even a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket feel like a total treat. It’s so simple, so low tech. I wish I could marry this coleslaw. What’s your go-to side dish? And would ya marry it?
xx Sarah.
- ¼ head of red cabbage
- 1 medium sized carrot
- 2 spring onions (scallions)
- 1 small bunch of coriander (cilantro)
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 2 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (lemon juice works fine, if it's all you have)
- Finely slice the cabbage, peel and grate the carrot, finely slice the spring onions, and pick the leaves from the coriander, placing them all into a large mixing bowl.
- Stir together the mayo, sriracha and rice vinegar, and taste. If you like things a little spicier, or a little creamier, feel free to adjust to your taste. There isn't much dressing, just enough to lightly coat the salad.
- Pour the dressing over the sliced veggies, and toss very well - I think clean hands are the best thing for this job!
- You can serve it straight away, but I think all 'slaws benefit from being left in the fridge for a few hours to marinate. And then BAM! Dinner is saved.
Your photography game is on point these days gurl. Those colors!
And this cole slaw on a bahn mi? Would there be anything more perfect?
Thank you! I’m working hard at it, but when the food looks so good on its own it’s hard to screw it up. And yes, the banh mi’s? Saaaah good.
Ooooh, looks delicious and SO fresh! x
Thanks!
This looks sooooo good! Perfect for memorial day!
Thanks Abigail – it totally would be!
SARAH. This is all I want to eat for the rest of my life. It’s perfection in a bowl! I’m making it this weekend for sure!!
Can never get enough ~slaw in my life. Love it when it~s homemade but I must admit my local supermarket does a really good one ;)
Such great colors — love your photos of this slaw!
I could also marry slaw. Especially this one. I make a spicy slaw similarly but with fresh jalapenos instead of the sriracha, and sweet pickles too — but boy — sriracha! SMART
This looks like the perfect side to something tossed on the Grill! Your pictures are great!
Oh my gosh that looks awesome! I need to try this. Sriracha AND coriander? Mmmm… :)
These pictures are gorgeous! It’s not easy to make vegetables look pretty!
I had no idea that coriander and cilantro were the same thing…yay for foodie lessons!
I hate hate hate goop.. but this is anything but. Looks awesome. (I’d eat anything with sriracha)
I make a bastardized version of nasi uduk, a recipe i am eternally grateful for! Rice prepared in a rice cooker with half water, half coconut creme and a teaspoon of green curry paste. Awesome with anything spicy and hearty.
Yum! That sounds delicious, and totally comforting!
I made this for our Memorial Day picnic, and it was delicious! I had some celery so I sliced a stalk thin and added that. Also, I had to add a little ketchup to the sauce, because mayo + ketchup + sriracha is my Holy Trinity. Awesome! I’ll definitely make it again.
Gorgeous! Celery is my mortal enemy, but I can totally see that a crunchy extra vegetable would be great. And I love the ketchup too – a little thousand island vibe. Thanks for commenting Kara!
I just tried this today. It is very tasty and also really easy to make! Loved the taste and can’t wait to share it with my friends! Best part is that it is friendly for all sorts of different dietary needs: vegan, paleo, vegetarian, etc. I don’t even have to think twice about taking this to a get together.