Mexican / Middle Eastern Coleslaw

This is a really flavorful and easy coleslaw blending Mexican and Middle Eastern flavors which honestly were a match made in culinary and geographic heaven. A part of cooking and eating that I have always found interesting is how ingredients that end up influencing an entire regions cooking can make an appearance halfway around the world. It wasn’t until I was reading about the fact that Latitude (The position of a location on earth in relation to North and South) plays a bigger role on the ingredients used then culture necessarily might. What that means is basically that different Latitudes regardless of Longitude (The position of a location in relation to East and West) typically share similar amounts of sunlight and seasonality, meaning more simply that stuff that grows well at around 15°’s does so all over the globe, so if you’re in Mexico then you happen to share a latitude ranging from Israel and Lebanon down to Yemen, and including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and parts of Iraq. Of course different visitors whether those were Human or Animal have introduced different Plants and Animals influencing the availability of ingredients and later cooking techniques (See my Post on Lamb Al Pastor). So when you wonder why one culture and another cultures food have similarities even when they are around 8,000 miles apart the impact of Latitude helps explain it! For a visual representation here is Mexico laid on top of the middle east at matching Latitudes.

So without further delay, here is my recipe that I always go to when making Fish Tacos, Chicken Wraps (Whether Fajita or Shawarma) or my Middle Eastern Brunch (also its awesome as just a general side)!

Mexican / Middle Eastern Coleslaw

Recipe by A Sandwich LaterCourse: Side DishCuisine: Mexican, Middle EasternDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Resting Time

4

hours 

Calories

65

kcal

Ingredients

• 1/2 Head of Cabbage (roughly)(I mixed 1/4 Green and 1/4 Purple)

• 1 Medium White Onion

• 2-3 Tbsp. Kosher Salt

• 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise (Kewpie is best, any will do)

• 2 Tbsp. Lime Juice

• 1 Tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar

• 1/4 tsp Cumin, Ground

• 1/2 tsp Cardamom

• 1/2 tsp Coriander

• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder

• 3 Finely Sliced Green Onions *Optional

• 1/3 Bunch Minced Cilantro *Optional

Directions

• Mix the Cabbage and White Onion in a large glass or non-reactive bowl, then generously salt with 2-3 Tbsp. of Kosher Salt, by sprinkling with 1 Tbsp. at a time then mixing with your hands and repeating until all of the Cabbage and White Onion is salted. (This is an important step as it will pull moisture from the Cabbage and onion that will make your coleslaw watery and also helps remove bitterness and sharpness from the Cabbage and Onion both. However if you don’t have time for this step, no worries, just do what you can!)
• After Letting the Cabbage and White onion sit on the counter a minimum of 1 hour and maximum of 2 hours rinse the cabbage well with cold water and drain, then rinse and drain one more time. I like to dry mine on a clean kitchen towel to get it really dry, but you can also spin in a salad spinner, or set it in a colander to drain and dry.
• While the Cabbage & Onion are sitting in the bowl with the salt you can prepare the dressing for the Coleslaw.
• Combine the Mayonnaise, Lime Juice, Vinegar, Spices, and Optional Finely Sliced Green onion in a bowl or measuring cup, stir very well to combine and set aside until the Cabbage and Onion have been salted, rinsed, and dried.
• Once the Cabbage and White Onion have been salted, rinsed, and dried combine with the dressing and minced Optional Cilantro then fold well from the bottom to thoroughly coat and mix the Coleslaw.
• At this point the coleslaw is ready to serve, however if it marinates 2-4 hours in the dressing it will be even better!