Really Tasty Asian Slaw with Peanuts, Water Chestnuts, Cilantro & Sesame- Ginger Dressing

The inspiration for this salad simply came from a bag of bean sprouts kicking around my fridge. I used them as garnish for one meal & needed to come up with a way to use the other 95%. My brain immediately went to some kind of Asian inspired slaw. Bean sprouts, red pepper, julienned carrot, scallion, water chestnuts, roasted peanuts, cilantro and a tasty dressing made with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic & a little sugar. 

I definitely think this bright slaw would be perfect beside something crispy and fried. Fried tofu, crispy spring rolls, a batch of my Okara Cakes, or tempura. This recipe makes a big batch, (enough for a crowd) but regardless, leftovers are awesome and it gets better after hanging in the fridge awhile anyway...

This did require a bit of knife skills. I happen to love perfectly cut veggies and enjoy the process of julienning carrots etc. If you don't enjoy it or don't have the time, just pick up a bag of slaw mix at the store and call it a day. I wouldn't hesitate to mix up the type of veggies in this at all. Just needs to be crunchy & fresh. I made another version subbing approximate volume of veg in the recipe with red cabbage & carrot, and kept the rest the same. 

Recipe: Asian Slaw with Soy Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

Slaw

• 1 L bean Sprouts
• 2 cups julienned carrots (about 2 medium - small carrots)
• 2 cups diagonally sliced snow peas 
• 1 cup sliced red bell pepper ( 1 x red pepper)
• 1 cup quartered water chestnuts (1 small can)
• 1/2 cup diagonally sliced scallions ( 3 x scallion )
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts + a bit extra for garnish
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro + a bit extra for garnish 

Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 6 - 8 tbsp rice wine vinegar (to taste)
  
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup maple or brown sugar (to taste)
• 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
• 4 x cloves garlic, minced

​Method:

1. Combine all slaw ingredients in a large bowl
2. Mix together vinaigrette ingredients in separate small bowl (you will have extra to use for something else)
3. Simply toss veggies with a bit of the vinaigrette. Just add a little bit of dressing at a time to taste...I like lots. Season with salt & cracked pepper if desired. You might have a bit of dressing leftover, just store in the fridge for another use.  
4. Let slaw marinate a few hours in the fridge. It improves over time
5. Garnish with extra chopped peanuts & cilantro