Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Coconut Milk and chilli dressing

A few days ago I came across a salad recipe from Donna Hay`s Simple Dinners book which used coconut milk as a dressing in an Asian inspired salad. I had never heard of it before and wanted to try it immediately. Of course it is a known fact that one of main ingredients that distinguishes South Indian cuisine from the rest of India is perhaps the use of coconut. It is used everywhere. Gravies, sides, sweets, chutneys and salads too.  A generous garnish of grated fresh coconut over salads is common, but coconut milk was something new to me.





Thankfully I did have coconut milk in my pantry and it only took me a few minutes to put this salad together. The spicy, sweet, creamy and tangy flavours and the crunchy texture of the cabbage and carrot go together very well. The addition of peanuts was my favourite part.

Cabbage and Carrot Salad with coconut milk and chilli dressing

Yield – About 3-4 servings

Things you need -

half of a medium cabbage
2-3 medium carrots

For the dressing

50 ml coconut milk , approx half a cup
2-3 tbsp of lime juice. Use more if you like it tangy
2 tsp of cane sugar or light brown sugar. Use ordinary white sugar if you don't have brown.
2 thai red chillies, deseeded and minced fine
salt, half a tsp or as per taste

For garnish

handful roasted peanuts, with skin removed. Cashew nuts, walnuts, almonds should also work fine.
a few coriander leaves
handful cherry tomatoes, optional
fresh lime or lemon wedges, optional

How I made it -

1. Whisk together coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, salt, chillies in a bowl to form a uniform mixture. Keep aside.
2. Cut the the cabbage and the carrot julienne. Alternatively coarsely grate them. Toss them together.
3. Spoon 3-4 tbsp of the dressing onto the salad and mix slightly. Check on the taste and add more dressing if required.
4. Garnish with coriander leaves, peanuts. Serve with cherry tomatoes and lime or lemon wedges.

Notes -

 

Prepare the dressing first and then cut/slice/grate the vegetables to prevent them from turning brown.
Else if you would like to prep them ahead, sprinkle some lime juice over the cut/sliced/grated vegetables to keep their freshness and colour intact.

Feel free to alter the quantities of the sugar, chillies and lime juice to suit your tastes. 

Linking this entry to No Croutons required event hosted by Lisas Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes where the theme this month is Raw Salads and soups.

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