When the creative juices flow, there is just no stopping. I love fusing different cultures and flavors into one – America is a mixing bowl after all. And I mean, who doesn’t love a little savory and sweet and spicy in their life? As my motto goes, never be afraid to “cise the spice”. 😉
As the first entry to my official food/recipe blog, I welcome you to my table with open arms. Bon Appétit!
The first meal I ever impressed my parents with was a homemade Thai Red Curry. I went overboard on the spices but coming from an Indian household, more spice was never an issue. I continued to make this curry and learn to perfect it each time I made it. I even tried a Thai Green Curry to jazz it up a bit. Couple of weeks ago, my parents invited my grandparents and close relatives for dinner, and asked me to cook a Thai menu. Now of course this was the first time I was cooking for someone outside of my parents so yeah it was a big deal. I had to show up. I couldn’t just feed them dinner when they were coming to my house around 4 PM. I had to think of something else, but what goes with Thai food as an appetizer?
I was stuck, so what do you do when you are? Open the fridge, sit on the floor, and stare inside, hoping for inspiration.
Deep within the half used sauce bottles and leftover Indian food, I saw a whole red and green cabbage my Mom was saving for our Monday Gujarati dinner (#DBSR). And that’s when I knew it was game time.
Cabbage is used in coleslaw but I can rework it with Asian vibes. I used the peanut butter base (basically instead of mayo), and fused it with some Thai chili flavors. From when my Mom made this samosa pastry, I found some wonton wrappers in the freezer and I knew the many hours spent watching Food Network’s Chopped was going to come in handy.
I saw how proud my family was of me, and how happy I made them. My grandmother teared up and hugged me. It was truly in that moment I knew I wanted to continue with my hobby/passion. They say you only need one reason to keep going with what you love, I got mine. And I hope to share this love with the rest of the universe.
PREP: 10 minutes TOTAL: 20 minutes YIELD: 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
ASIAN SLAW
- 1 cup Shredded Red Cabbage
- 1 cup Shredded Green Cabbage
- 1/2 cup Shredded Carrots
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Green Spring Onion, finely chopped
[you can buy shredded cabbage and carrots in your refrigerated produce aisle; usually comes as a pre-shredded coleslaw package]
PEANUT CHILI DRESSING
- 1/2 cup Peanut Butter (smooth, not chunky!)
- 2 tbsp. Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp. Chili Garlic Sauce (Sriracha)
- 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp. Garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. Ginger, minced
WONTON CUP
- 1 pack of Frozen Wonton Wrappers; make sure to thaw them out.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Spray non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray. Press 12 individual wonton sheets into each tin creating bowl/cup shape. Bake for 6-7 minutes or until edges are golden crisp. Once done, take out cups from pan and set aside to cool.
- Prepare Peanut Chili Dressing: in a non-stick small pan on low heat, combine soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger. Whisk in peanut butter, chili garlic sauce, and brown sauce. Mix until peanut butter is melted.
- Take dressing off heat and pour into bowl. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- In large bowl, combine Asian Slaw ingredients. Gently toss slaw with 3/4 of dressing.
- Evenly put Asian Slaw/Dressing mixture into each wonton cup.
- Drizzle rest of dressing onto each cup equally.
- Sprinkle finely chopped cilantro on top as a garnish.
- Serve and enjoy! 🙂
I recommend serving as a snack, or as an appetizer for a Thai food themed menu.
THE SHARED SPICE 
Creative! And looks delicious
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Very creative and looks amazing! 🙂
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Very pretty!
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