Lately I’m craving crisp salads and lots of vegetables with my meals. This spicy sesame slaw fits in perfectly. We make a vibrant shaved raw vegetable base with cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, and green onions. Edamame is tossed in and then everything is coated in a creamy and spicy sesame dressing. We top it off with sautéed mushrooms and toasted sliced almonds for extra crunch. This recipe is perfect for the next time you need a flavourful side salad! Fans of this might also love my lentil edamame salad.

The inspiration for this recipe:

• The dressing is inspired by Japanese goma dare–a creamy sesame dressing/sauce. I found lots of variations on this sauce online. The unifying elements are: ground roasted sesame seeds and/or sesame oil, rice vinegar, something sweet, soy sauce, and mayonnaise. You can read more about this condiment on Just One Cookbook and The Japantry.
• The spicy sesame dressing in this slaw recipe calls for non-roasted tahini for creaminess and toasted sesame oil for that intensity. I sweeten mine with maple syrup and add some chili paste for spice. I also add ginger, garlic, and a bit of lime because I like the citrus lift.
• All of this is to say: goma dare and its versatility was certainly an inspiration point. My recipe here though is not authentic to any traditional conception of the sauce.

I love a tangle of thinly shaved vegetables (see this creamy mustard slaw and this charred corn slaw), but was craving something warm with this spicy sesame slaw as well. So I added some sautéed mushrooms on top! This is an optional extra step, but the robust and earthy flavour of the browned mushrooms works nicely here. As they wind down on cooking, the mushrooms are tossed with a maple, Tamari, and sesame oil mixture. These mushrooms combined with the roast-y/crunchy almonds and the slaw makes every bite so savoury and satisfying.

Hope you love this one!

Spicy Sesame Slaw with Mushrooms & Edamame

Spicy sesame slaw is creamy and crunchy, loaded with vegetables, and made extra hearty with sautéed mushrooms and protein-rich edamame. Naturally vegan and gluten-free!

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 11 minutes mins

Total Time: 41 minutes mins

Servings 6

Ingredients

Slaw

• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 6 cups shredded cabbage (I like a mix of red and green, but this is about 1 small cabbage total)
• 1 ½ cups shredded carrot (from 2 medium carrots)
• 1 large red bell pepper, finely sliced
• 4-5 green onions, sliced
• ⅓ cup toasted sliced almonds

Spicy Sesame Dressing

• ¼ cup tahini
• 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 ½ tablespoons chili paste, such as Sambal Oelek or Guchujang (use more or less, to taste)
• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced with a Microplane
• 2- inch piece ginger, finely minced with a Microplane
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons water, plus extra

Mushrooms

• 2 teaspoons Tamari soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
• 227 grams (½ lb) sliced mushrooms (I used a mix of shiitake and cremini)
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Notes

• To make this go a bit faster, you could replace the cabbage and carrots with an appropriate amount of pre-cut bagged slaw from the salad kit area of the grocery store!
• The dressing can be made and kept in the fridge up to a week in advance. You may need to thin it out with a bit of water because it will thicken as it sits in refrigeration.

Instructions

• Thaw the edamame by either boiling in a pot of water for 1 minute or running under hot water in a colander for a couple minutes. Drain and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the edamame, shredded cabbage, carrots, red pepper, and green onions. Leave the toasted almonds to the side for garnishing at the end.
• Make the spicy sesame dressing. In a medium bowl, combine the tahini, avocado oil, toasted sesame oil, maple syrup, chili paste, rice vinegar, lime juice, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, and water. Whisk to combine. The dressing should be thick but pourable. Add more water if necessary and then set aside.
• Prepare the mushrooms. In a small bowl, combine the Tamari, maple syrup, and sesame oil. Set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the skillet and swirl around. Add the mushrooms all at once and let them sit for a full minute. Give them a stir and then let them sit for another full minute. Season with salt and pepper. Keep sautéing the mushrooms until they are tender, golden on the edges, and all excess liquid has cooked out, about 5 minutes. Add the Tamari, maple and sesame oil mixture and stir for another minute. Stir in the sesame seeds and remove from the heat.
• Assemble the salad. Pour the spicy sesame dressing over the cabbage and other vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and toss until everything is coated evenly. Top the spicy sesame slaw with the mushrooms and toasted sliced almonds. Enjoy!

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: cabbage, carrots, chili paste, cremini mushrooms, edamame, garlic, ginger, green onions, maple syrup, olive oil, red peppers, sambal oelek, sesame oil, sesame seeds, shiitake mushrooms, sliced almonds, tahini, tamari