Sea Slaw
Makes: 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes, plus time to rest
F M V
The most colorful slaw you’ve ever seen: The wakame quickly absorbs some of the dressing and plumps up a bit, but remains chewy. (You can use any type of sea green you like, but if you want a really vibrant green, the key is instant wakame.) Serve with any vegetable burger (pages 500 to 508), or as part of an Asian small-plate feast. Toss a cup or 2 with chilled cooked noodles and you’ve got yourself a crunchy pasta salad.
- ¼ cup instant wakame or other dried seaweed
- ¼ cup Vegannaise (page 672) or mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
- 2 cups chopped cabbage (preferably Napa; about ½ pound)
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded (see page 49), and thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, quartered, and thinly sliced
- ½ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Red chile flakes (optional)
- If using instant wakame, skip to Step 2. If not, rinse the seaweed and soak it in at least 10 times its volume of water until tender, 5 to 10 minutes or more. Drain and gently gather and squeeze the pieces to remove excess water. Pick through the seaweed to sort out any hard bits (there may be none) and chop or cut up (you may find it easier to use scissors) if the pieces are large.
- Whisk together the vegannaise, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and peanuts in a large bowl. Add the wakame or prepared seaweed, the cabbage, cucumber, and bell pepper. Toss to coat in the dressing; refrigerate for anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like it; the longer it sits, the less crunchy it becomes. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours; you may need to drain off excess liquid before proceeding. Add the cilantro, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and chile flakes to taste, if you’re using them. Taste and adjust the seasoning, toss one last time, and serve.