Spicy coleslaw

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• ¼ head of white cabbage
• 3 carrots
• 1 small garlic clove(s)
• 3 spring onions, the green part
• 1 tbsp Wakame, dried
• 2 tbsp water, lukewarm
• 1 lemon(s), the juice
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, sweet (Ketjap Manis)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp pepper (Szechuan pepper), whole
• ½ chili pepper(s), dried or fresh
• 1 shot of maple syrup
• some sugar
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes

Starter or side dish to Asian food

Place the dried brown seaweed (wakame) in a small bowl and pour over a little lukewarm water (ratio: 1 part wakame, 2 parts water). It will now swell. Heat a pan and toast the sesame seeds in it. Be careful, they tend to burn! Stay by the stove and stir frequently. When it smells pleasant, remove the sesame seeds from the heat and let them cool. Peel the carrots and coarsely grate them. Remove the tough outer leaves from the white cabbage, generously trim the stem, and finely shred the cabbage. Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon, pour the juice and both soy sauces over the grated vegetables. Peel the garlic and chop or grate as finely as possible. Add it to the bowl along with a dash of maple syrup and the sesame oil. Grind the Sichuan peppercorns and half a dried or fresh chili pepper in a mortar, not too finely. Add the ground spices, the cooled sesame seeds, and the well-squeezed wakame leaves, and toss the salad thoroughly. Season to taste with a little more sugar or soy sauce, if desired. Finely chop the green parts of the washed spring onions and sprinkle them over the salad. Cover and let stand for about 2-3 hours. Toss the salad thoroughly again before serving. It can be served as a starter, for example, with fried shrimp. It also tastes great as a side dish to an Asian main course. You can, of course, vary the spiciness according to your taste, using more or less chili. You can also spice up the salad with some fruit, such as pineapple, or even raisins.