There’s nothing like the perfect side dish, and my personal favourite on a hot summer’s day is coleslaw. I’ve never tried a really good supermarket coleslaw; I often find them quite bland, and the texture is way off, being either too soggy or too crunchy.
Luckily, I’ve never really had to rely on store-bought coleslaw, as my family has been making their own for generations, and there’s one key ingredient that makes all the difference. Coleslaw is the easiest way to ingest cabbage, as the blend of carrots, onions, and mayonnaise complements each other well. By simply adding salt and pepper, you can elevate the dish, but my family goes one step further: brown sugar. Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients
This ingredient list serves a big bowl for around ten people. I advise splitting the measurements in half if you are serving a smaller group. Full list:
- One medium cabbage
- Two large carrots
- Two large onions
- Mayonnaise (to your taste, I prefer a more dryer coleslaw than a very wet one and it’s crunchier)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Secret ingredient: Three tablespoons of brown sugar
Method
Begin by washing all of your ingredients; my cabbage was extremely dirty, and I ended up removing the first layer due to all the dirt it had built up. By using a sharp knife, carefully cut your cabbage into smaller pieces, but not too small, as you need a thick layer to begin grating.
My mum loves a trendy kitchen appliance and has a trusty hand rotating grater, but with small children in the house, things always go missing, so I opted for an old school grater. I used the larger blades to begin shredding the cabbage.
Once completed, I moved on to my two large carrots. Always chop the head and the bottom off before shredding. If your carrots are too big, then I advise cutting them in half. There is also no need to peel the first layer of the carrot but this is up to preference.
I used the medium blades for my carrots as I didn’t want large ribbons. Next, peel and cut your two white onions in half. You can also use a red onion or a red cabbage for a more colourful coleslaw.
Grate your white onions as finely as possible. I would use gloves for this process to avoid your fingers lingering with onion juice (I made this mistake). Mix together thoroughly before adding mayonnaise to taste. I like a drier coleslaw, but add enough mayo to saturate the dish.
Finally, salt and pepper to your personal taste. Once mixed, add three tablespoons of brown sugar; this will enhance the flavours of the vegetables as well as provide an extra crunch.
My family recipe is a crowd pleaser, whether we are hosting a BBQ or having an intimate family dinner. It is also a great way to incorporate vegetables into your children’s dinners if you have picky eaters at home. My nieces and nephews scoffed nearly the whole bowl with their hot dogs and chips dinner.