Cucumber-Cabbage Salad with Sesame

This crisp, colorful salad leans on Vietnamese flavors: lime, fish sauce, ginger and a little fresh chile. Eat it on its own or set it next to grilled meat, fish or a roast chicken.

Serves 4 to 6 · 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the dressing

• ¼ cup lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chile
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon grated garlic

For the salad

• 2 cups thinly sliced hothouse cucumber, lightly peeled
• 2 cups chopped green or napa cabbage
• 2 carrots, peeled and julienned (about 1 cup)
• Salt
• ½ cup tender cilantro sprigs
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped mint
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped dill
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. In a salad bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust.
2. Add the cucumber, cabbage and carrots to the bowl, sprinkle lightly with salt and toss well.
3. Let the salad sit for 10 to 15 minutes so the vegetables soak up the dressing.
4. Right before serving, add the cilantro, mint, dill and sesame seeds and give everything a gentle toss.

Tips

• Regular green cabbage works fine, but napa cabbage gives the salad a lighter, more tender crunch.

Adapted from David Tanis, NYT Cooking.