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Creamy White Cabbage Salad

Creamy White Cabbage Salad

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A creamy white-cabbage salad from the family collection with glazed pecans and optional orange-spiced nuts. The original dressing was written in casual family shorthand - “spoons,” “shakes,” and a bag of cabbage - so the final version turns those notes into measurements that a beginner can repeat without changing the basic mayo-soy-mustard flavor.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Pareve Salad
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad
  • 1 lb Shredded white cabbage or coleslaw mix / 450 g
  • 1/2 cup Glazed pecans / about 60 g
  • 1/2 cup Orange-spiced glazed nuts / about 60 g, optional
Creamy Dressing
  • 1 cup Mayonnaise (240 g)
  • 4 Tbsp Soy sauce (60 mL)
  • 2 Tbsp Mustard (30 mL)
  • 2 Tbsp Sugar (25 g)
  • 3-4 Tbsp Vinegar (45-60 mL), to taste
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic powder

Equipment

  • Large salad bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Whisk or spoon
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Method
 

  1. Place the shredded white cabbage in a large salad bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, soy sauce, mustard, sugar, 3 tablespoons vinegar, and garlic powder until smooth.
  3. Taste the dressing. Add the remaining tablespoon vinegar if you want it more tangy. Do not add salt before tasting because the soy sauce already brings plenty of saltiness.
  4. Pour about three-quarters of the dressing over the cabbage and toss thoroughly. Add more dressing only if needed.
  5. Refrigerate 20-30 minutes if you prefer the cabbage slightly softened, or serve immediately for maximum crunch.
  6. Just before serving, toss again and add the glazed pecans. Add the orange-spiced nuts as an optional second crunchy topping.

Notes

Recipe #154
Category: Pareve Salad
Yield: About 8 servings
Method: Toss and chill
Prep: About 15 minutes
Chill: 30 minutes optional
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Details
Kosher: Pareve when made with pareve mayonnaise. Texture: Crisp shredded cabbage with crunchy sweet nuts. Flavor: Creamy, savory-sweet, tangy, and lightly garlicky.
Family “Spoons and Shakes” Made Measurable
The old recipe says “2 spoons mustard,” “2 good shakes sugar,” and “2 shakes garlic.” The approved beginner version interprets those as 2 tablespoons mustard, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Start with 3 tablespoons vinegar, then add the fourth only if you want a sharper dressing.
What a Beginner Should Look For
Dressing: Smooth, creamy, and pourable rather than stiff. Cabbage: Coated but still crisp. Finished salad: Creamy without excess dressing pooling heavily in the bowl.
Soy Sauce Means You May Need No Extra Salt
Four tablespoons soy sauce already carry significant salt. Taste the finished dressing before adding anything salty. For many brands, no additional salt is needed at all.
Beginner Tips
  • Use a bagged coleslaw mix for the quickest beginner version.
  • Add dressing gradually because different cabbage bags absorb different amounts.
  • If the dressing feels too thick, loosen it with 1 teaspoon water at a time.
  • Add nuts only shortly before serving so they stay crisp.
  • Orange-spiced nuts are optional; the salad still works beautifully with glazed pecans alone.
Troubleshooting
Dressing tastes too salty: Whisk in extra mayonnaise and a little vinegar to rebalance it. Salad is too heavily dressed: Add more shredded cabbage and toss again. Dressing is too thick: Add 1-2 teaspoons water or vinegar. Nuts became soft: Store them separately and add fresh nuts just before serving.
Variations
  • Use only glazed pecans for a simpler pantry version.
  • Add thinly sliced scallions for more color and bite.
  • Use half white cabbage and half shredded carrot for a colorful slaw-style variation.
Make Ahead, Storage & Freezing
Refrigerator: Store the dressed salad airtight up to 3 days. It will soften as it sits. Keep nuts separate until serving. Freezing is not recommended.
Tip to Hand Down
When a family recipe says “a shake” or “a spoon,” turn it into a starting measurement - then taste. That keeps the recipe repeatable without losing the cook’s instinct that made it good in the first place.

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