Red Cabbage Salad - Japanese Style

Tired of the same old salads?  Try this fresh and healthy Japanese style salad.  The red cabbage and dressing have to stay, but it is the kind of dish that's very adaptable to the inclusion of all sorts of other ingredients - like chopped green chilli, finely sliced cucumber, mint, coriander, crumbled seaweed sheets, pieces of barbecued corn sliced off the cob...................................................

Salad

2 cups finely shredded red cabbage. This is where a mandolin slicer comes into its own.  (You could use 1 cup of red and one of green Asian cabbage).

1 cup grated carrot.

1 cup bean sprouts.

1 tbs spring onions OR chives, finely sliced.

1 tbs sesame seeds, toasted.

1tbs pepitas, toasted.

(this time I also added a desert spoon of pickled ginger - optional)

Sauce

1/3 cup light olive oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs tamari (or light soy sauce)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 rice wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste, freshly ground

1.  Lightly toast the sesame seeds and pepitas in a heavy based frying pan until they begin to pop - be careful not to let them burn.  Leave to cool.

2.  Mix all the salad ingredients together with the cooled, toasted seeds.

3.  Combine all the sauce ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

4.  Pour the sauce over the top of the salad when you are ready to serve.

We had this with some barbecued fish, steamed brown rice and my pineapple oil pickle.  Very, very yummy and healthy.