Chinese Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

• 1 napa or other Chinese cabbage (about 3 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt, preferably sea salt
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 small jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
• 1 two-inch-length lemongrass, minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Instructions

Trim off any tough or wilted outer leaves from the cabbage and cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Cut out and discard any section of stem in the center of each of the quarters. Cut the quarters crosswise into 1/4-inch shreds. In a glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, rub the cabbage with the salt until all the salt dissolves and you can no longer feel it under your fingers, about 5 minutes. Put the cabbage in a colander set over a bowl to drain for about an hour. Rinse the cabbage with cold water and squeeze the cabbage in small clumps to get rid of the extra water. Toss the drained and squeezed cabbage with the rest of the ingredients in a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl. Chill slightly in the refrigerator.

Makes 8 side-dish servings