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Middle Eastern Style Cabbage Salad in a blue dish.

Middle Eastern Style Cabbage Salad Recipe

Grace Stewart (adapted from and inspired by Claudia Roden's Recipe for "Cabbage Salad" from "A Book of Middle Eastern Food"
This Middle Eastern Style Cabbage Salad Recipe is simple and delicious! It pairs perfectly with kebabs or your favorite mains and is a wonderful way to enjoy cabbage!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Resting time for salted cabbage 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Salad, Side Dish, vegetable side dish
Cuisine Arabic, Middle East
Servings 4 people
Calories 80 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ pound cabbage approximately ½ of a small head of cabbage
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ ts salt this is for salting the cabbage, plus additional to taste
  • ⅛ ts pepper plus additional to taste; use freshly ground for best results

Instructions
 

  • Begin by cutting the head of cabbage in half and the remove the core and the thick stem and any tough leaves as best you can. You can also remove the loose outer leaves of the cabbage if you like. Then separate the cabbage leaves between the green and the white leaves.
    Green cabbage split into the white and green parts. Some of the cabbage has been cut into long green slivers. The cabbage is on top of a wooden cutting board.
  • Cut the cabbage into long and thin slices. When cutting the cabbage, cut against the fibers you will see in the cabbage leaves as pictured.
    Green cabbage split into green and white parts on a wooden cutting board. This is a knife poised over one of the parts of the cabbage.
  • Now place the sliced or shredded cabbage into a colander, and sprinkle salt over the cabbage. Massage the salt into the cabbage, and then allow it to sit for 30 minutes. This will help to remove excess water from the cabbage and make it flexible and pliable.
    Shredded green cabbage held by someone's hand over a colander.
  • After 30 minutes, rinse the cabbage and squeeze out all the excess water. Squeeze hard, so that you can remove as much water as possible, and then put the cabbage in a large mixing bowl.
    Shredded green cabbage in a glass bowl with a yellow spoon. There are small bowls containing lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. There is a silver pepper grinder as well.
  • Now all that's left is to add the dressing ingredients! Add the olive oil, lemon juice (or white wine vinegar), and the garlic. Mix well, and then add additional salt and ⅛ t/s or more of pepper to taste. Add freshly ground black pepper for best results.
    Green cabbage shredded to make a salad in a glass bowl, with a yellow spoon containing some of the cabbage salad. Black pepper has been added to the cabbage.
  • And just like that, your delicious Middle Eastern Cabbage Salad is ready to enjoy!
    Middle Eastern Style Cabbage Salad in a blue dish.

Notes

I've used green cabbage in this recipe, but have also used red cabbage which is equally delicious!  Feel free to use either!
The ingredients may be adjusted to suit your tastes.
Enjoy! 

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 301mgPotassium: 110mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 56IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 0.4mg
Keyword cabbage, easy salad, green cabbage, red cabbage
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!