Sweet & Spicy Carrot and Cabbage Slaw

I saw this recipe on Vietworldkitchen and then I started craving some heat. I have all this amazing hot sauce in my fridge—homemade, fermented, sweet and spicy—and it needed a creative outlet. I also love sauerkraut. It would be an unhealthy obsession except that it’s oh-so-good for me. I also had a handful of heirloom carrots in the fridg, just begging to be added to shredded coleslaw for a rainbow of colour. o all I did was grate the vegetables, toss them with some of my pre-made Indian-spiced sauerkraut (though shredding some cabbage fresh would have been just fine, and then combined it with the dressing ingredients. If my grater had been sharp the process would have been relatively quick and painless. Dang grater.

Sweet & Spicy Carrot and Cabbage Slaw

Dressing
1/2 tsp ground cardamom or coriander (whichever you like more, or neither)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons Sriracha chile sauce
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons plain unsweetened probiotic yogurt (mine was actually a maple yogurt, which I didn’t realize until I tasted the dressing, making it VERY sweet…it still worked)
2 tsp salt or fish sauce, to taste (you won’t need it if you use sauerkraut instead of cabbage below)

1 cup sauerkraut, or 1/2 head green cabbage, grated finely (or both, and adjust salt or fish sauce to taste). The finer you grate the vegetables, the more easily they’ll release their juices and soften, which is a good thing.
5 carrots, grated
1 daikon radish, grated
2 cups arugula, optional

Directions

In a medium bowl combine the dressing ingredients. Add the grated vegetables (reserving the arugula) and toss to combine. I prefer to do this with my hands if using fresh cabbage instead of sauerkraut. It helps the cabbage wilt and release its juices. But if there’s hot sauce in the dressing I use a pair of gloves. Burning eyes are never fun. And, as it turns out, neither are hours of burning hands…

Serve immediately, or, ideally, wait 20 minutes or more until the flavours all come together. The hand mixing speeds this along. Add the arugula just before serving and toss to combine.