japanese coleslaw

This is the perfect accompaniment to Korean fried chicken or any fried food for that matter - Japanese Coleslaw. Recipe is from 'A little taste of Japan' cookbook which my lovely cousin brought back for me on a recent overseas trip (cousin, you know me too well!) Recipe has been abridged slightly as I was making this at the last minute before we were heading over to our friend's place for the fried chicken.

Finely shred 200g Chinese cabbage and put in a large bowl. Coarsely grate 1 peeled carrot and 150g peeled daikon and thinly slice 2 spring onions on the diagonal.

For the dressing, place 125g Japanese mayonnaise, 1 1/2 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sake, 1/2 tsp wasabi paste, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp caster sugar in a jug and mix until smooth. Season to taste with salt and ground white pepper. Add to the cabbage mix and toss well. Serve immediately.

Unlike your regular Australian coleslaw, this version isn't quite so heavy on the mayonnaise and ends up being somewhat refreshing when you eat with fried food. Eat quickly though because within the hour, the daikon will start sweating a little and leave a soppy mess at the bottom of the bowl.