Israeli-Style Red Cabbage Salad is a one-bowl, vegetarian side dish that’s so easy to make with only 5 ingredients!
Slightly sweet and slightly sour, it makes a great side dish for picnics, BBQs, or even shabbat meals.
And it’s a terrific pita or lafa (Iraqi pita) fill for falafel and shawarma!
Side salads are VERY popular with Israelis and they make the BEST.
They eat them with lunch and dinner, in their street food, at BBQs and gatherings, picnics, you name it. Really, just any time.
Israeli red cabbage salad is easy to make. It takes around just 10 minutes! Just one bowl. And it refrigerates really well, so make it ahead and let the flavors combine.
Have it as a pre-dinner salad or as a side! Makes a great addition to your shabbat meals whether they are with meat or you’re keeping it pareve.
Bring it as a side for your sandwich to school or work and save your lunch money for something else!
And red cabbage has nutritional value!
A little about red cabbage
Red cabbage has a high content of both vitamin C and vitamin K and other health benefits.
While this vegetable is called “red,” it is mostly found in more of a purple color. It will change its color according to the pH value of the soil it grows in; in acidic soil, it will be more reddish, and in more neutral soil, it will be more purple.
It is used both raw and cooked, depending on the recipe. It can be used raw with mayonnaise (as in this recipe) or with lemon juice or vinegar for a salad or coleslaw. It can also be pickled and made into sauerkraut. Prepared properly, it can complement a variety of dishes.
It is believed that red cabbage was first brought to Europe by the Celts and was spread throughout Europe by the Romans.
At first it was mainly used by peasants for themselves and their livestock and only began to appear in the food of the wealthy sometime in the 1700s.
What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?
When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).
The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it.
Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.
Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.
What does it mean when a recipe says that an ingredient is “optional”?
If an ingredient is “optional,” it means that you can add it in or not based on your own preference. An optional ingredient can be flavor related (i.e., salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), appearance related (garnish), or even something like nuts or chocolate chips in baking.
A little about Israeli cuisine
Some people complain about cultural appropriation in cuisine when food from one country is attributed to another country.
Israeli cuisine” is basically Middle Eastern (as opposed to Eastern European food) that was brought to Israel by Jews when they fled or were expelled from Muslim countries and moved to Israel mostly after the declaration of the State of Israel (collectively known as Mizrahi Jews).
Recipes were passed from generation to generation, and although decades have passed, the foods are still known by the culture they came from, and everyone seems to have their own way of making them.
That said, there are many variations of pretty much any “Israeli” recipe because of background, custom, or even just taste.
When choosing a recipe, one has to know what actually constitutes a main ingredient—what makes the dish what it is—and what is left up to individual taste.
What is needed for this recipe?
I hardly ever meal plan, so I like to keep a cupboard full of seasonings, spices, veggies, and canned goods in my kitchen to use whenever the mood strikes.
But these are all you need to have on hand to make this recipe even last minute!
shredded red (purple) cabbage
mayonnaise
lemon juice
white granulated sugar
salt
granulated garlic
If you love side salads, you should try these delicious deli salads!
Easy Deli-Style Coleslaw
Easy Deli-Style Cucumber Salad
Easy Deli-Style Potato Salad
Easy Deli-Style Macaroni Salad
Easy Israeli-Style Red Cabbage Salad
Easy and delicious, sour-sweet red cabbage side salad.
Ingredients
- 28-32 ounces shredded red (purple) cabbage
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise (or more if desired)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice *
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the shredded cabbage into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and garlic if you are using it.
- Mix well and then chill.
- Pour out any extra liquid if you don't want it. Add a little extra mayonnaise for creaminess if you want to.
Notes
* or vinegar
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 678mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g