The present-day coleslaw is hardly imagined without mayonnaise in it. Astounding as it may sound, the coleslaw of times past – legend has it that the dish of shredded cabbage goes back to the times of ancient Romans – hardly ever sported mayonnaise-like substances in it at all. As food historians might tell, mayonnaise would only have been invented much later – that is, in the 18th century. So this is all to say that it's OK to make coleslaw without mayonnaise. There are countries where cabbage, finely shredded and all, is almost never served blanketed in a thick layer of egg yolks…Take Russia, for example.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that in Russia, (green) cabbage is a national vegetable. It is so popular and omnipresent from north to south and from west to east that it would perfectly make sense if one day a head of green cabbage is approved as an emblem of the country. Suffice to say, in this neck of the woods, cabbage is revered.
Just to give you a perspective of this vegetable’s credentials: on wintery days, it finds its way, stewed, as a filling into popovers; pickled, it is enjoyed in hearty bean salads. At a peak of summer, there are few dishes more refreshing than Russian coleslaw with apple vinegar, fresh dill leaves and a drop of honey. No mayonnaise. No heavy ‘artillery’. This simple dish virtually glows with health and wellness. And rightly so. Cabbage is rich in vitamin C and fiber, and belongs to the group of wondrous foods that require more energy to be digested than they give away and thus are known in the scientific world under the name of negative calorie food. Whoa.
In this mayonnaise-less version of coleslaw, tight cabbage ribbons are relaxed by vinegar and honey which function, apart from refining and enriching the overall taste, is to extract juices out of the vegetable. Tiny dark-green flecks of fresh dill leaves, which are an innate match to green cabbage in the first place, accentuate the summery nature of this salad and generally give avid eaters an eyeful. Above all, isn't it a perfect picnic food?
So without much further ado, here is the recipe. In fact, it’s even not so much a recipe as a formula. It’s ridiculously simple, this Russian coleslaw. One rule to remember, though: you want cabbage to be mellowed and yet to retain its pleasant crunchiness, so make sure that you don’t leave the salad in its vinegary dressing for too long, otherwise the vegetable will turn limp instead of being mellow.
Russian Coleslaw with Apple Vinegar, Fresh Dill and Honey
Yields 4-6 servings
- 1 medium head green cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- Fresh dill leaves to taste (the more, the better), finely chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp apple vinegar (alternatively, you can use white wine vinegar, or lemon juice, in which case you can up the quantity of it -- lemon juice is not so sharp in its acidity as vinegar)
- 1 tsp runny honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Before you combine all the ingredients, squeeze out the shredded cabbage; this will press out the excess liquid and tenderize the cabbage.
- 2. In a large salad bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Fold in the dill leaves and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Variations:
- Instead of fresh dill leaves, use fresh mint.
- To give this coleslaw an intricate twist in flavour, add a modicum of ground cinnamon.
- Add a tart apple, cut in thin matchsticks, to make the salad crunchier.
