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Salad

Red Cabbage Salad

A salad of julienned red cabbage dressed with oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Cabbage and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,924 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Red Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Wash the cabbage.

  2. Julienne the cabbage.

  3. Mix the cabbage with salt and rub with your hands until soft.

Dress

  1. Add oil, vinegar and sugar, and mix well.

Scald and rest

  1. Scald the chopped cabbage with boiling water.

  2. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

  3. Drain the cabbage.

Finish and serve

  1. Mix the cabbage with oil, vinegar, salt and sugar.

  2. Serve with roasts.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

226Calories
4 gProtein
14 gFat
24 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cabbage + vinegartop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,924 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  3. Cabbage + sugartop 30% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,037 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Red cabbage
Forms the main body of the salad and provides its crisp, fibrous texture once softened.
Oil
Adds fat that coats the shredded cabbage and gives a smoother mouthfeel.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and brightens the cabbage.
Sugar
Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.

The step that matters

Rubbing the cabbage with salt until soft. Salt draws water out of the cabbage and softens its tough cell walls. Stopping too early leaves the shreds crunchy and harsh, so rub until they visibly wilt and soften.

Swap the cabbage

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, sugar):

  1. Mustardfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Cucumberfits better
  4. Cabbagethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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