Sesame Chicken Slaw
This would be excellent with thinly-sliced raw asparagus, radishes, barely-cooked green beans, and more. For the crunch element, you could use salted cashews, sunflower seeds, or even toasted black and white sesame seeds (I’d use just a few tablespoons of seeds). For protein, we brushed 500gm of boneless skinless chicken thighs with a 1:1 mixture of dark soy sauce and honey, grilled them, then sliced them thin, but you could also do the same with tofu here, for an entirely vegan salad.
Serves 4
DRESSING
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
- 2 tablespoons white miso
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons olive or a neutral oil
- Salt and Sriracha to taste
SLAW
- 4 cups thinly sliced mixed carrots, cucumber, celery, bell peppers, sugar snaps, and/or snow peas
- 2 cups thinly sliced red, green or savoy cabbage
- 1 cup chopped salted peanuts
- 1 cup thinly sliced scallion (white and green parts)
- Handful chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, if you wish
- About 1 cup Miso-Sesame Dressing (above)
- 500gm grilled chicken thighs, thinly sliced (or Tofu)
Make the dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and run until smooth, scraping down sides once. You can also hand-whisk the ingredients in a bowl, but be vigorous so the chunky ingredients smooth out. Taste and adjust ingredients to your preference.
Assemble the salad: Holding back a little of the peanuts, scallion, and herbs for garnish, add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing, adding some or all of the remaining dressing to taste. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Sprinkle with reserved peanuts, scallions, and herbs for extra prettiness. Eat right away or bring it somewhere wonderful in a cooler and eat it in a few hours.
Do ahead: The dressing and chopped vegetables (except the cilantro, which might wilt faster), stored separately, will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.