What She Ate >> Indian Slaw

Hey yo! I'm super excited to bring a new feature to this here ole blogspace, and that's with the introduction to a fabulous new link up I'm participating in! This is a new series started by Stacy at Let it Unravel, and it's meant to inspire and encourage all of us to eat delicious and taste-tacular food, in a thoughtful and healthful way. Awesome, right? Every couple of weeks, we'll tackle a new theme and share what we came up with. I don't know about you, but I definitely need inspiration in this department. While I enjoy cooking (and even more so, eating), I often find myself relying on the same rotation of meals. I love that not only will I get to challenge myself to come up with something great to share, but I also get to be inspired by what everyone else came up with. Win win!

To kick off, I thought I'd share an Indian dish that I made for lunch today: Indian Coleslaw. Say whaaaa?

Yup, like the good ole American coleslaw you know and love (or loathe), except not at all. This dish actually reminds me of the type of food that we'd eat at Satsanga for lunch: light, crunchy, and full of flavor. Here's how to do it >

Indian Slaw
1 bag shredded cabbage mix
1-2 serrano chiles, chopped (incl. seeds + ribs)
1/4 c. roasted + unsalted peanuts
1/4 c. shredded + unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp. canola or sunflower oil
1 tsp. black or yellow mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. ground tumeric
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
plain yogurt (optional)

Add the oil to a small saute pan and heat over med-high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. While this is heating, dump the peanuts into a food processor/spice grinder/coffee grinder type thing, and pulse until the peanuts have the consistency of breadcrumbs (don't go too far or you'll get peanut butter!). By now, your oil should be hot. Add the mustard seeds, and stand back, because they'll pop and sputter a bit, like popcorn. Let them go for about 30 seconds until they smell nutty, and remove from heat. Add the tumeric to the hot oil. This will extract the flavor and good spice-oils.

Now, add the peanuts and all of the rest of the ingredients to the cabbage in a large bowl, and drizzle the spice and oil mixture over the top. Toss well, and enjoy! I topped mine with a dollop of plain yogurt, since I feel all Indian food is best eaten this way, but you do what you feel. Also, a note about the serrano chiles. Wash your hands really well after chopping. Like, Really. Well. I washed mine, but an hour or so later I absently touched my eye which resulted in a burning tearfest of pain. Consider yourself warned. ;)

This recipe is from a recent episode of The Splendid Table (public radio nerd alert!), and I also made the other two recipes that were featured (Scented Rice Pilaf and Yellow Lentil Dal) which were SO SO SO good! I highly recommend them, especially if you're newer to Indian cooking like me.

Wanna join in on the culinary fun? Leave a comment here, send me an email, or get in touch with Stacy. Our first official post will be May 14th, with the challenge "naughty but nice." NOM!

shanti >> sondra

p.s. There's also a pinterest board for this group! Find us there.

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