I’ve spent some time experimenting to figure out this recipe. When I was around 17 or 18, I asked my grandma for her coleslaw recipe. My grandparents were from Missouri and my grandma made some great southern cuisine. At the time, I was fairly new to cooking and just followed every recipe to the last detail. She didn’t actually have a recipe for coleslaw. She made it so often that she just knew how to put together the ingredients perfectly. She gave me a list of everything she used to make it and I wrote it all down. The only problem was that she didn’t really know the measurements that she put into her coleslaw. She guessed the amounts as she told me the ingredients and I put everything together but my attempt didn’t turn out well. It just wasn’t my grandma’s first-rate coleslaw. Sadly, I gave up and left the list in my hand written recipe book and forgot about it for a long, long time. Recently, I decided to get out the ingredients and try again. The first attempt was much better than when I was a teen but it wasn’t quite there yet. I think I have finally figured it out though after last night’s try. It is a little sweet and tangy without an over powering mayonnaise taste. I really hope you enjoy it!
Old Fashioned Southern Coleslaw
A great homemade coleslaw that I’m sure you’ll love!
- 1/2 head White Cabbage (about 19.5 oz or 550 grams)
- 2 Carrots (about 3.5 oz or 100 grams)
- 1/4 Green Pepper (about 1.5 oz or 42 grams)
- 1/2 White Onion (about 2 oz or 57 grams)
- 1/4 cup +2Tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp white vinegar
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
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Core the cabbage and roughly chop it into 6 or 7 large chunks. Place a couple of the chunks of cabbage into a blender and add water to cover the top.
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Pulse the cabbage in short bursts until you have small pieces of chopped cabbage. Be careful not to over process. Depending on your blender you may only need to pulse a few times.
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Pour the cabbage out into a colander in the sink and repeat until all the cabbage is chopped. If you have any larger pieces just add them back into the blender with the next group of veggies.
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Add the carrots, then green pepper and onion into the blender with water and pulse until they are roughly the same size as the cabbage.
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Once all the veggies are chopped and in the colander, gently squeeze out the excess water. I used a paper towel and gently pressed down over the top of the vegetables several times while they were still in the colander.
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Transfer the veggies into a big bowl.
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In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise, oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to make the dressing. (It will be just under a cup or so)
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Once the dressing is mixed, pour it over the top of the coleslaw and stir it together to incorporate it evenly.
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Enjoy!
I chopped all the veggies in a blender with water and then strained them through a colander. This is how I remember watching my grandma make it and I wanted to end up with the same texture.