Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette

Last week I hosted dinner for neighbors and served the last of my previous cabbage in a coleslaw with chipotle-honey dressing. I chopped the cabbage in the food processor to make small (maybe 1/4-inch?) chunks instead of shreds. That’s something I learned from the guys who own The Po’Boy Shop on Clairmont. We are running their coleslaw recipe in the AJC in a few weeks and they firmly believe that small diced cabbage is the key to really excellent slaw. Their version has a mayo/vinegar/sugar dressing, but next week the AJC will publish my feature on what to do with some of those leftover condiments in your refrigerator and pantry. I made this chipotle-honey vinaigrette for the story and since I needed to use it up, I poured it over the cabbage (and a few chopped carrots). To a person, everyone at the table raved about it. I thought those who aren’t fans of smoky heat would leave it on their plates, but they ate it all. It’s sort of a recipe but you really have to taste it and adjust every single ingredient to suit your palate. I wanted more honey in mine.

Laab Gai (Chicken Salad)

Last week I mentioned the recipe for Laab Gai we published in the AJC last summer. Delicious on lettuce leaves, delicious on cabbage leaves. It’s appended below.

The herbs, citrus and fish sauce provide rich bright flavor for this salad. The ingredients include toasted sticky rice powder which adds a nutty flavor. Look for it at a store carrying Asian groceries, or make it at home by toasting glutinous rice and grinding it with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

The filtered fish sauce here is the Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce found at Asian grocers and in grocery stores well-stocked with international food.

Asian grocery stores may have frozen chopped lemongrass available and Rouamvongsor says that’s an acceptable substitute for fresh.

The salad is served by scooping the chicken mixture onto cabbage leaves