Salatet Malfouf, Lebanese Cabbage Salad
Salatet malfouf is the cabbage salad that shows up on Lebanese tables when tomatoes are out of season and a bright, crunchy counterpoint is still wanted. It is about as simple as a salad gets: finely shredded cabbage, a lot of lemon, garlic pounded to a paste, and mint in both its dried and fresh forms. The usual dressing adds olive oil and salt, but neither earns its place here. The technique carries the dish instead. Shredding the cabbage thin makes it tender enough to eat raw, steeping the garlic in lemon tames it and spreads it evenly, and a brief massage softens the cabbage the way salt otherwise would. Dried mint gives depth and fresh mint gives lift, the same two-form trick that flavors so much Levantine cooking. Keep it crisp by dressing it just before it goes to the table, and serve it cold alongside grains, lentils, or anything rich.
Ingredients
- 1/2 whole green cabbage, about 1 lb (450 g), shredded very fine
- 1 clove Garlic, grated to a paste
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice, fresh
- 1 tbsp Dried mint
- 2 tbsp Mint, fresh, chopped
- 2 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Method
- Shred the cabbage as fine as you can, ribbons no wider than a coin's thickness. Fine shredding is the whole texture of this salad: thick cut, cabbage stays stiff and raw-tasting, but shredded thin it turns tender and takes the dressing all the way through.
- Whisk the grated garlic into the lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes. Steeping the garlic in acid softens its raw bite and infuses the juice, so the garlic flavor spreads evenly instead of biting in spots.
- Crush the dried mint between your fingers into the lemon and garlic. Dried mint carries a deeper, almost savory note than fresh, and steeping it in the acid rehydrates it and lets it bloom.
- Pour the dressing over the cabbage and work it in with your hands for a minute, massaging until the cabbage softens slightly and glistens. This light massage does what salt would do, coaxing the cabbage to give a little without drawing out its water.
- Fold in the fresh mint and parsley just before serving. The lemon and garlic season it fully, so it needs no salt and no oil. Dress it close to serving time, since the cabbage slowly softens once the acid is on it.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 55 calories, 2 g protein, 3 g fiber, 20 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.
