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You are here: Home / Recipes / Dairy-free / Spicy harissa coleslaw with pomegranate

Spicy harissa coleslaw with pomegranate

by Jeanne Horak on September 11, 2015 21 Comments in Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Salads, Vegetarian

Spice up your coleslaw with the heat of harissa and the sweetness of pomegranate - a delicious twist on a classic!

 

Earlier this year the Oxford English Dictionary released its annual list of new words to be added to this venerable publication.  They were an interesting mix of the familar, the unfamiliar, the  amusing and the rather baffling. Cake pops, freegans, crowdfunding and photobombing are probably well overdue to be added. Jeggings (leggings that look like denim jeans), skort (shorts covered by a flap of material to resemble a skirt) and tenderpreneur (A South Africanism for for a person in government who abuses their power to get government contracts) all made me smile wryly.  And fo’ shizzle makes me despair a little for the future of mankind. But for some language purists, the very idea that new words like these are legitimised by inclusion in the dictionary is a sure sign of the impending Apocalypse.

I always giggle at people who are so protective of a language.  Languages are not carved in stone – if they were, we’d still be speaking Saxon! Languages are living, breathing things that encircle and assimilate new words and bits of other languages like an amoeba assimilates food with its pseudopodia. For heaven’s sake, English is already choc-a-bloc with foreign words! Think of café, déjà vu, schadenfreude, streusel, ballerina, lingua franca, armadillo, cafeteria and guerrilla, all gleefully transplanted into English without so much as a tweaked syllable.  But then there are also the words that we don’t even remember that we borrowed from other languages, so anglicised and assimilated have they become – and Dutch words seem to have been a particularly rich linguistic seam to mine:

  • Rucksack (backpack) derives from the Dutch rugzak (literally “back bag”)
  • Furlough (to take leave from the army) comes from the Dutch word verlof, meaning holiday.
  • Poppycock (nonsense) comes from the Dutch pappekak (meaning literally “soft dung”)
  • Scone comes from a shortened form of the Dutch schoonbrood (meaning “fine bread”)
  • Cookie comes from the Dutch for biscuit: koekje

 

Pomegranate

 

Another of these Dutch borrowings is coleslaw, which is simply an anglicisation of the Dutch word koolsla, or cabbage salad. Coleslaw is one of those salads that seems to have had its heyday in the 1970s and has been slipping in the popularity stakes ever since.  Famous for being the only salad that KFC served for many years, the coleslaw that I grew up on was the mayonnaisey variety where raw shredded cabbage, carrot and onion were doused in so much mayonnaise dressing that it became hard to distinguish the vegetables in the matrix of dressing. Once a stalwart at every barbecue and summer lunch party, coleslaw was slowly but surely superseded by the move to healthier and altogether more glamorous salads, artfully arranged on a serving platter rather than stirred up into a mush in a big bowl. And yet… I retained my fondness for coleslaw.  I’ve always loved cabbage, and the cheerful crunch of coleslaw never fails to please me, even if it’s mass-produced by KFC or doused in a litre of mayonnaise. But how to make other people remember that they love it?  That was the question.

 

ColeslawPomegranate

 

Inspiration came unexpectedly from an impromptu dinner out with friends this summer. After a few drinks in the City, we made our way through the hipsters to Dishoom in Shoreditch and enjoyed one of the most satisfying meals I have had I London in ages.  It was hard to decide what I enjoyed the most (although the lamb raan bun is a strong contender!) but the dish that stuck in my mind the longest was a spicy coleslaw dotted with pomegranate seeds.  And so I set about creating something similar at home, riffing on the traditional flavours of coleslaw but with a twist. White cabbage is fine as far as it goes, but I wanted my slaw to be ablaze with colour so it’s a mix of red and white coleslaw together with cheerful orange carrots. Although raw onion is usually included, I find its flavour too harsh and so I substituted spring onions and added parsley to freshen the palate.  Having previously expressed my deep love for mayonnaise, it will not surprise you to learn that I refused to ditch the mayo, but I thinned it with milk and added a good dollop of harissa paste to offset the sweetness of the pomegranate.  There’s enough tradition to please the purists but enough innovation to pique the curiosity of a new audience – and enough deliciousness for everybody.

 

SpicyHarissaColeslaw

 

5.0 from 7 reviews
Spicy harissa coleslaw with pomegranate
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Total time
15 mins
 
This spicy harissa coleslaw with pomegranate is an easy and delightful way to breathe new life into the old classic of coleslaw.
Author: Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Recipe type: Side salad
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • About 2 cups white cabbage, finely sliced ad chopped into 3cm lengths
  • About 2 cups red cabbage, finely sliced and chopped into 3cm lengths
  • 2 carrots, coarsely grated
  • 2-3 spring onions, finely chopped
  • A good handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2-3 Tbsp good quality mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp harissa paste (more if you like it spicy)
  • About 40ml milk
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • About ½ a cup of pomegranate arils
Instructions
  1. Place the cabbage, carrots, spring onions and parsley in a large bowl.
  2. In a smaller bowl, mix the mayonnaise, milk and harissa – you can add more or less milk till the desired consistency is reached – you are aiming for something in the region of ranch dressing.
  3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss until well mixed.  Scatter the pomegranate arils on top and serve.
Notes
If you don’t have harissa paste, chipotle paste will also work well and add a delicious smokiness.
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If you love slaw, you should check out Ren’s  Polish carrot and apple salad, Katie’s vegetarian burgers with crunchy slaw, Kellie’s winter slaw with pears and cranberries,  or Kalyn’s spicy cilantro peanut slaw.

If you enjoyed this recipe you might also want to have a look at my other recipes.

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  1. Helene @CroqueMaman says

    September 11, 2015 at 2:18 pm

    I love pomegranate so the idea of finding it in a coleslaw sounds like a winner! How fun is this to re-create dishes that u had at the restaurant, even if I have to admit it does take me a bit of times, sometimes… well done u! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  2. Emily @amummytoo says

    September 11, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    Looks so lovely, fresh, crunchy and delicious.

    Reply
  3. Jacqueline Meldrum says

    September 11, 2015 at 11:12 pm

    Informative as ever Jeanne. I never realised Scone came from a Dutch word. As to the coleslaw it looks very tasty. I’ve made harissa coleslaw, but not for years. My friend Lisa over at Lisa’s Kitchen gave me a great recipe for harissa paste, so at the time I was using it in everything.

    Reply
  4. Lynn says

    September 12, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Combo of harissa and pomegranate seeds = 🙂

    Reply
  5. Miam Miam & Yum says

    September 12, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    Hi Jeanne,
    This recipe sounds and look fantastic (just like the rest of your blog) and is right up my alley!
    I will certainly make this next time I am grilling some lamb chops.
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  6. Glamorous Glutton says

    September 13, 2015 at 10:56 am

    A delicious revamp of an old favourite. I’m a big Harissa fan, it’s a great idea to include it here. GG

    Reply
  7. flavoursofworld says

    September 14, 2015 at 9:46 am

    Hmm so delicious.. Im waiting for your other posts:)

    Reply
  8. Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla says

    September 14, 2015 at 3:23 pm

    That looks delicious Jeanne! I’m really intrigued by addition of the pomegranate here… must try this 😉

    Reply
  9. Sylvia @ Happiness is homemade says

    September 14, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    Really love the idea of adding harrissa to coleslaw! I’m always up for some spicy kick in salads 🙂

    Reply
  10. Karin@yumandmore says

    September 15, 2015 at 11:37 am

    I’m with you Jeanne, if you can’t find the word you need, make one! …and coleslaw I just love it! This spicy version with crunchy sweet pomegranate seeds is right up my alley. I will try it out soon.
    Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
  11. Rosa says

    September 16, 2015 at 11:19 am

    A great combination! I love pomegranate and coleslaw.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  12. Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla says

    September 18, 2015 at 10:58 am

    I love this recipe Jeanne!! Will mention it in my newsletter today 🙂

    Reply
  13. Niamh says

    September 19, 2015 at 9:11 pm

    Well there you go! I thought I knew the origin of the word coleslaw but I was *wrong*! I love language geekery. And a good slaw too. I just made a spiced one for a freelance gig too 🙂 This looks gorgeous.

    Reply
  14. Jonker - Firefly says

    September 21, 2015 at 11:21 am

    I’m not a big coleslaw kind of guy but that looks really good. I always like it when food has a sweet and sour combination to them.

    Reply
  15. KalynsKitchen says

    September 23, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    Brilliant recipe; I would love this as a side dish.

    Reply
  16. Lakshmi Mahas says

    September 24, 2015 at 7:35 am

    Love this combination. Going to try this now.

    Reply
  17. Eb Gargano says

    September 24, 2015 at 2:11 pm

    What a lovely thing to do to coleslaw! I absolutely love the idea of adding harissa (I’m really into harissa at the moment) and the pomegranate seeds make it look so pretty. Definitely have to have a go at making this!

    Reply
  18. Meeta says

    September 24, 2015 at 7:17 pm

    There are many words that come form the Dutch and German too. Rucksack is also German for backpack – Handy is German for mobile phone and I hear that it too has invaded the English language!
    What really is invading my tastebuds is this coleslaw. Just love the look of this salad it’s fresh and bold and full of grand flavor!

    Reply
  19. Amber Harding says

    September 25, 2015 at 1:26 pm

    Oh boy, I love combinations of different tastes, especially salty and sweet. Lovely!

    Reply
  20. Charlie @ The Kitchen Shed says

    October 15, 2015 at 9:29 pm

    This looks delish! I love the idea of spicing up the coleslaw with the harissa paste. Genius! We love pomegranates too so this is definitely one for us to try 🙂

    Reply
  21. Lynn says

    July 26, 2019 at 8:54 pm

    I just had Dishoom coleslaw for the first time a few days ago. I was very pleased to find this recipe
    Thank you for posting it

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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