THAI CHINESE CABBAGE SALAD

Thai Chinese Cabbage Salad image

Provided by James Peterson

Yield Makes 8 side-dish servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

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1 napa or other Chinese cabbage (about 3 pounds)
1 tablespoon coarse salt, preferably sea salt
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 small Thai chiles or 2 jalapeño chiles
a 2-inch-length lemongrass, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Steps:

Trim off any tough or wilted outer leaves from the cabbage and cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Cut out and discard any section of stem in the center of each of the quarters. Cut the quarters crosswise into 1/4-inch shreds.
In a glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, rub the cabbage with the salt until all the salt dissolves and you can no longer feel it under your fingers, about 5 minutes. Put the cabbage in a colander set over a bowl to drain for about an hour. Rinse the cabbage with cold water and squeeze the cabbage in small clumps to get rid of the extra water. Toss the drained and squeezed cabbage with the rest of the ingredients in a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl. Chill slighty in the refrigerator.