Recipes

Tanzanian Spicy Slaw (Kachumbari)

Serves 4-6

| Prep Time: 12 mins

| Cook Time: 0 mins

| Total Time: 15 mins

You may need: Berbere

Discover The Recipe

This Tanzanian Spicy Slaw recipe is inspired by a common salad called Kombuchari that adorns dinner tables across the Great Lakes region of the Rift Valley in East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo). Refreshing and crunchy with a peppery bite, this spicy slaw takes just minutes to prepare and uses a mix of fresh vegetables that you might find in any Tanzanian market: cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and fresh lime. What makes this slaw sing is our use of the East African spice blend Berbere to transform the slaw into a simple but delicious African fusion dish.

Berbere is the spice blend of choice in many recipes of the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti) but it has become popular throughout the rest of Africa and the world. Berbere provides a spicy heat up-front, rounded with alluring notes from the cardamom and cloves, finished with a subtle maple-bitter note from fenugreek. Our Berbere blend is so versatile that you will certainly want to have it around the kitchen to experiment with, in everything from stews to rubs on grilled meats and roasted veggies.

Ingredients

1 small green cabbage, shredded 1/4” thick
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, leaves picked
3/4 lb tomatoes (Roma or any Salad Tomato), sliced into wedges
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 large lime, zest and juiced
2 tsp salt (optional)
2-3 tsp Piquant Post Berbere Spice Blend (adjust to your heat preference)

Notes

Berbere has spicy heat from the chili peppers. Start by adding a teaspoon at a time and sample the dressing before adding more to reach your desired heat.

Salad should be dressed right before serving.

Eat this salad within 1 hour of dressing otherwise the slaw will lose its crunch and become soggy.

Save time by buying pre-shredded veggies like cabbage or carrots at the market.

Optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them.

Instructions

Shred cabbage by cutting the head into quarters, removing the core and then slicing against the grain to 1/4” slices. Use a grater on peeled carrots to create shreds of desired thickness. Thinly slice the cucumber and onions with a sharp knife or mandoline slicer.

Add all vegetables and picked cilantro leaves into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate small bowl combine mayonnaise, zest and juice of 1 lime, salt and Berbere spice.

Add sauce to vegetables and toss until evenly coated. Add tomatoes and gently toss salad.

Alternatives & Substitutions

As with any salad, use the veggies you love and/or that are in season. Some other ideas to try include: mushrooms, broccoli slaw (broccoli stems sliced into matchsticks), sliced jicama, mango, and red onion. We highly recommend our Lentil Mushroom Salad with Berbere Lemon Vinaigrette.
For a light refreshing summer meal, top this slaw with a fillet of grilled salmon or shrimp. If you eat meat, try our Berbere Meatball Stew or our Eritrean Beef Zigni. If you eat chicken, our Ethiopian Chicken with Lentils is fantastic!
Vegans can use their favorite mayonnaise substitute to make this meal fully vegan. Try our Berbere Braised Sweet Potato for another vegan dish.
For a Southern (American) fusion twist, try this slaw as a topping on a pulled pork BBQ sandwich or as a topper on a grilled portobello mushroom burger.
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