Goi Bap Cai, Vietnamese Cabbage and Herb Salad
Goi bap cai is the plain, useful salad of Vietnamese home cooking, the shredded cabbage plate that turns up next to rice and a simmered dish to add crunch and freshness. In its usual form it is dressed with nuoc cham and often built around poached chicken, but the cabbage, herbs, and peanuts are the real structure. Swap the fish sauce for tamari and the sugar for dates and it loses nothing, because what carries the bowl is the contrast of cold crisp cabbage against a loud, herby, sour-sweet dressing.
Ingredients
- 4 cups green cabbage, cored and shredded very thin
- 1 Carrot, julienned
- 1/4 cup Vietnamese coriander, leaves picked
- 1/4 cup Mint, leaves torn
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup Peanuts, toasted, crushed
- 3 tbsp Lime juice, fresh
- 1 tbsp Low-sodium tamari
- 2 Medjool dates, pitted
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 Thai bird chile
Method
- Pound the garlic, chile, and dates to a paste in a mortar, then whisk in the lime juice, tamari, and 1 tablespoon water. This is a nuoc cham built without fish sauce or sugar: the tamari brings the salt and savor, the dates bring the sweet, and the lime keeps it sharp.
- Put the shredded cabbage and carrot in a wide bowl and toss with the dressing. Let it sit 5 minutes. The cabbage softens just enough to lose its raw squeak while staying crisp, which is the texture goi is after.
- Add the rau ram, mint, and cilantro and toss again. Rau ram, the peppery Vietnamese coriander, is the herb that makes this taste specifically Vietnamese rather than generically fresh, so do not skip it if you can find it.
- Pile the salad up and scatter the crushed peanuts over the top. Serve at once, or hold the dressing separately and toss just before eating so the cabbage keeps its snap.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 150 calories, 6 g protein, 5 g fiber, 250 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
