Pointed cabbage works raw as a salad only if we give it 30 minutes with salt first. That resting time is exactly what turns the finely shredded cabbage into a digestible raw salad that sits lightly on the stomach.
We have been making this salad for years whenever the first pointed cabbages appear at the market. Compared to a classic white cabbage slaw, pointed cabbage is far more tender, with thinner leaves and less fibrous structure. That saves us the hours of resting time we know from white cabbage slaw. Thirty minutes is enough, and the salad is ready.
Pointed Cabbage and Pepper Salad with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 10 ✓
- 60 g walnut halves
- 1 Spanish onion
- 400 g pointed cabbage
- 100 g peppers mixed colours
- 40 g sunflower oil
- 30 g apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground caraway
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
Instructions 0 / 5
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1
Chop the walnuts.
Walnut halves into the mixing bowl and chop for 4 seconds / speed 6.
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2
Prepare the onion.
Peel the Spanish onion, quarter it and add to the mixing bowl.
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3
Prepare the cabbage.
Wash the pointed cabbage, remove the core, cut into pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
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4
Chop and combine the salad.
Wash the peppers, remove the stalk and seeds, add to the mixing bowl along with the remaining ingredients and chop using the spatula for 7 seconds / speed 4.
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5
Serve.
Season the salad to taste if needed, transfer to a bowl and serve.
Tip: The salad tastes best when it has had time to marinate. We recommend making it the day before and leaving it covered in the fridge overnight.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why pointed cabbage works better raw than white cabbage
Pointed cabbage has a different leaf structure to white cabbage. The leaves are thinner, softer and contain less firm cellulose. That has two consequences that make our salad what it is:
- Digestible without pre-cooking. Raw white cabbage causes bloating for many people. Pointed cabbage, shredded this finely and salted for 30 minutes, reduces that problem considerably.
- Tender bite rather than tough chewing. At 5 seconds on speed 5 we get a fine, even shred that does not feel spiky in the mouth.
- Less waiting time. White cabbage slaw needs at least 4 hours to marinate. Pointed cabbage is ready to serve after 30 minutes and at its best after 2 hours.
Getting the right shred in the Thermomix®
The Thermomix® achieves a fine pointed cabbage shred in 5 seconds, provided we feed it correctly. We remove the core generously, halve the cabbage and cut it into palm-sized pieces. Larger pieces mean the bottom layers get chopped too fine while the top ones stay coarse.
For the 400 g of pointed cabbage in our recipe, 5 seconds at speed 5 is enough. If you prefer a coarser shred, go for 4 seconds at speed 4. We should not shred for more than 6 seconds at speed 5, or the cabbage turns mushy and releases water too early. Use the spatula to push the pieces down during shredding.
The 100 g of mixed peppers go in at the final step together with the spices. Here we do not want a fine shred but recognisable pieces. So we blend for just 7 seconds at speed 4 at the end, pushing with the spatula. That way the pepper stays visible and the cabbage underneath is not chopped further.
The dressing: apple cider vinegar, oil and three spices
The dressing consists of 40 g sunflower oil, 30 g apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp ground caraway and 1/4 tsp cumin. The oil-to-vinegar ratio is 4:3, slightly sharper than a classic salad dressing. That acidity is exactly what we need to stop the natural sweetness of the pointed cabbage from taking over.
Caraway and cumin are not the same spice, even though the names can suggest otherwise. Caraway is the classic slaw seasoning and supports digestion. Cumin adds a smoky, slightly earthy note that sets this salad apart from a standard cabbage slaw. If you do not have cumin in the cupboard, replace it with a pinch of sweet paprika.
We chop the 60 g of walnuts in the mixing bowl first, 4 seconds at speed 6. That gives coarse pieces, not walnut crumbs. For a finer result, go for 5 seconds at speed 6. Walnuts suit the pointed cabbage because they bring a second bitter note that balances the sweetness of the peppers.
Where pointed cabbage salad goes hard or watery
1. Salt draw too short
If you serve the salad immediately after dressing it, you get a crunchy salad, but also the full raw-vegetable effect on the stomach. The cabbage needs the salt to draw out moisture and soften.
Our solution: Leave the dressed salad covered at room temperature for 30 minutes, then toss again. For an even more tender result, leave it overnight in the fridge. That is also the tip from the recipe card.
2. Core not removed
The core of pointed cabbage is hard and will not soften in the mixing bowl. If we leave it in, we end up with pieces that do not get chopped and are unpleasant to eat.
Our solution: Halve the cabbage, cut out the core generously in a wedge shape, then divide into pieces. Better to remove too much core than too little.
3. Shredded too long in the mixing bowl
More than 6 seconds at speed 5 is too much. The pointed cabbage turns mushy, releases water immediately and the salad ends up swimming in its own liquid.
Our solution: 5 seconds at speed 5 as standard. If the result seems too coarse, push with the spatula and add another 2 seconds at speed 5. Better to go twice briefly than once too long.
4. Spanish onion instead of a regular onion
We deliberately use a Spanish onion, not a regular yellow onion. The Spanish onion is milder, sweeter and more pleasant in a raw salad. A regular onion would overpower the salad with sharpness.
Our solution: If in doubt, use a red onion instead of a yellow one. It is also milder and adds extra colour to the salad.
Variations we make regularly
With apple and yoghurt dressing: Instead of sunflower oil and apple cider vinegar, use 100 g yoghurt, 30 g apple cider vinegar and 1 tbsp honey. Add a grated apple (Boskoop or Elstar). This gives a creamy coleslaw style that goes particularly well with pulled pork or fried sausages.
With carrot: Add 100 g carrot and shred together with the pointed cabbage at 5 seconds at speed 5. The carrot adds sweetness and colour, and the salad looks like a pale coleslaw. Works especially well with children who find the plain pointed cabbage salad too cabbage-forward.
Asian style with soy sauce: Replace the apple cider vinegar with 30 g rice vinegar, the sunflower oil with 30 g sesame oil, and add 1 tbsp soy sauce and a small garlic clove. Replace the walnuts with peanuts. Tastes like an Asian cabbage salad from a Thai restaurant.
With bacon pieces: Fry 80 g streaky bacon until crisp, leave to cool and scatter over the salad just before serving. Warm fat on a cold salad is a classic combination.
Sausages, fish or bread alongside the salad
The pointed cabbage and pepper salad is our standard side for bratwurst, pulled pork and burgers. It replaces the classic Thermomix® white cabbage slaw when we do not have 4 hours of lead time. At barbecue evenings we serve it alongside our Thermomix® coleslaw because the two salads complement each other well, one creamy, one crunchy. For more inspiration in the salad bowl, take a look at our Thermomix® salad recipes.
2 days in the fridge, even better on day 2
The salad keeps covered in the fridge for 3 days. From day 2 it becomes even more tender and the dressing has fully soaked through the cabbage. Give it a good toss before serving because the dressing collects at the bottom of the bowl.
Freezing does not work. Pointed cabbage completely loses its texture when thawed and goes mushy. If you want to prepare a batch in advance, shred the cabbage and freeze it separately. It can then be used later in cooked dishes such as soups and stir-fries, but no longer as a salad.
Goes well with: Schnitzel and Falafel.
If the salad is sitting for a while, scatter the walnuts over just before serving. They soften in the dressing and lose their crunch.
If you are looking for more quick salads with minimal waiting time, our Thermomix® coleslaw, the classic Thermomix® white cabbage slaw and our full range of Thermomix® salad recipes are worth a look.
