“Crunchy. Fresh. Rejuvenating. This slaw is… divine.”
*I said to myself in Gordon Ramsay’s voice*
Every taco has to have its equivalent of romaine lettuce for its balancing effect in the meal, lightening up the savory fillings with a burst of crisp rejuvenation.
To continue the Chinese Tex Mex theme (this is dish 4 out of 5), the base of this slaw is comprised of thinly shredded napa cabbage and sliced fennel bulb that’s seasoned with toasted sesame seeds for nuttiness, a hint of freshly squeezed orange juice for sweetness, and lime juice for acidity, and cilantro for its sharp flavor.
If you follow any diet that restricts sugar, there’s little reason to be concerned about the trivial amount of sugar that the 1/4 cup of orange juice adds to this recipe. 1/4 cup of orange juice (about half an orange), adds roughly 6 grams of sugar in total, that’s – when divided among 3 or 4 people – merely 1 1/2 – 2 grams of sugar per person, which isn’t enough to spike your insulin levels as the amount of glucose is too miniscule.
If you remain concerned however, leave the juice out, add the zest of one orange, a few drops of liquid stevia extract, and two tablespoons of water if the slaw appears dry.
Crunchy Fennel Citrus Slaw is one out of 5 recipes that comprises our Chinese Tex Mex series, thus it’s flavors perfectly compliment those found in brown garlic sauce tempeh & mushrooms, cinnamon-orange jasmine rice, refried black soy beans, and seaweed-infused cassava tortillas. Albeit, this slaw is a wonderful side salad or topping for any Summer-y lunch or dinner.
Like what your taste buds are tellin’ ya? Leave behind a nice rating, share your thoughts with us in the comments, or show us your creations by tagging @noeggsorham on Instagram.
All the best,
Ryan & Kim
Crunchy Fennel Citrus Slaw (Chinese Tex Mex)
Crunchy napa cabbage and sliced fennel tossed with toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, and orange & lime juice.
Ingredients
- 1 medium head napa cabbage, shredded*
- 1/2 medium bulb fennel, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 c fresh orange juice (about 1/2 orange)
- 2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 tbsp tamari sauce
- 1 tbsp unrefined sesame oil
Directions
- To toast sesame seeds, place a small pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add sesame seeds and cook, swirling around the pan constantly to ensure even browning. Once the seeds start to smell nutty – about 2 minutes – take them off the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together orange juice, lime juice, tamari sauce, and sesame oil. Then, add in napa cabbage, fennel, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and toss to combine.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes – optimally 1 hour – for the flavors to commingle & the slaw to cool.
- Eat after 30 minutes or store in the fridge for up to a day.
*To shred cabbage, first remove any bruised outer leaves, then halve the head by cutting down the center vertically (as seen in post). To each half, make three vertical lengthwise cuts down to the root, without cutting through it. Chop horizontally into strips about 1/4 inch wide until you get close to the root where the leaves become tough. Congratulations, you’ve just shredded a cabbage.
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