How do you prepare a cole slaw?

Answer 1

Even though the inside of cabbage is usually clean because the outer leaves protect it, you still may want to clean it. Remove the thick fibrous outer leaves and cut the cabbage into pieces and then wash under running water. If you notice any signs of worms or insects, which sometimes appears in cabbage, soak the head in salt water or vinegar water for 15-20 minutes first. To preserve its vitamin C content, cut and wash the cabbage right before cooking or eating it. Because phytochemicals in the cabbage react with carbon steel and turn the leaves black, use a stainless steel knife to cut.

To cut cabbage into smaller pieces, first quarter it and remove the core. Cabbage can be cut into slices of varying thickness, grated by hand, or shredded in a food processor.

Short steaming (less than 7 minutes) is much better than microwaving for preserving some myrosinase activity in the cabbage. Because you need myrosinase activity to convert the glucosinolates in cabbage to cancer-preventive isothiocyanates, preserving as much myrosinase activity as possible when cooking cabbage seems worthwhile.

A little bit of bitterness in the taste of cabbage is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to your health. One of the bitter-tasting glucosinolates especially plentiful in cabbage, sinigrin, is the source of the anti-cancer substance allyl-isothiocyanate. It's healthiest to incorporate cabbage into recipes that include differently flavored foods in such a way that the cabbage is allowed to retain a little of its natural and noticeable bitterness but within a blended-flavor context of a delicious dish. For example, many curries, stir-fries, and slaws provide sweet and sour notes to complement the bitter taste.

Finally, it's important to remember that you can allow myrosinase enzymes in cabbage to do their natural work by slicing, shredding, or chopping raw cabbage and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes before cooking. When the cells in cabbage have been broken apart through slicing, shredding, or chopping, the myrosinase enzymes in those cells can become active in converting the glucosinolates in cabbage into isothiocyanates.

To sauté cabbage, heat 5 tablespoons of vegetable broth or water in a stainless steel skillet. After bubbles begin to form, add shredded cabbage, cover, and sauté for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 2 more minutes before transferring to a bowl and tossing with your favorite seasonings or dressing. Ginger is a great addition to sautéed cabbage; you can also add rice vinegar and sesame seeds. Alternatively, you can braise red cabbage with a chopped apple and red wine. The alcohol (but not the flavor or the flavonoids) will evaporate. Combine shredded red and green cabbage with fresh lemon juice, coconut milk, and seasonings such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, and black pepper to make coleslaw with an Indian flair.