I’ve made versions of these crispy, delicate little fried cabbage pancakes at restaurants and in my very own home, where they are a breakfast staple. I’ve often watched my mom bulk them up with canned salmon and loads of the week’s forgotten vegetables. We’d eat them over bowls of hot grits or rice. To me, they are reminiscent of okonomiyaki (loosely translated as “grilled as you like it”), a popular savory pancake from southern Japan. I like to drizzle Spicy Sorghum-Miso Mustard (page 110) over them.
The popular sriracha sauce can be added to noodles and stir fries for a fiery kick or, as in this sticky chicken dish, to a crunchy salad.
This bright, crunchy salad will excite your eyes as much as your taste buds, and is perfect for a potluck or a big backyard family meal.
Cabbage and carrots add the crunch, lardons provide some lip-smacking saltiness, and, for heat, I've used freshly grated horseradish.
This is one gorgeous salad: Slivered red and white cabbage tossed with ginger, garlic and orange peel -- pure Asian flavors finished off with white and black sesame seeds.