Have you ever tried Malfouf Salad? This easy Lebanese slaw is vibrant and aromatic. It is made with fresh cabbage, mint and parsley and topped with a Middle Eastern-style dressing made with garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. YUM! Ready in just 5 minutes!
Malfouf Salad
I actually like how fresh, light and crunchy this salad is. First of all, do you know what Malfouf means? It is an Arabic word that means "cabbage." Yes, you guessed right, this is the main ingredient for this salad.
What really makes this salad unique and flavorful is the dressing, which is made with lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. This delicious salad is my go-to side for many meat dishes such as Chicken and Yellow Rice and Boom Boom Shrimp.
My youngest daughter loves it, and she told me that this salad has just the right amount of flavour and crunch that makes it a great salad. WOW! i was so happy to hear that and also happy because she consumes more greens 😉
Now, the hideous part of making this salad is thinly slicing the cabbage. To be honest, I did that myself using a sharp knife; however, if you find it hard, here is a great video that will show you how to cut the cabbage thinly.
You may also use a cabbage slices tool, which is SO easy to use; unfortunately, I didn't know about it earlier.
The final easy solution is to buy a pre-shredded cabbage from the store; this way, you don't even have to shred the cabbage.
Ingredients
Cabbage: I used white cabbage but you may use purple cabbage as well.
Herbs: I used fresh mint and parsley.
Green onion: For extra crunch and flavor.
For the dressing: I used olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and a little bit of salt.
“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”
How I Cut The Cabbage Thinly
This salad really doesn't taste as good if the cabbage is not shredded or thinly sliced. But have no worries, because you can achieve the shredded look with just a knife and cutting board.
Firstly, I sliced the cabbage into quarters or small wedges using a sharp knife. Then, with the cut side of the cabbage lying flat on the cutting board, I cut the cabbage wedge into thin shreds.
Voila! I did it. Easy, wasn't it?
How To Make Malfouf Salad?
One (Prepare the veggies): Shred the cabbage. Next, finely chop the green onions, mint and parsley. Now go ahead and add all of these cut veggies to a large bowl.
Two (Make the salad dressing): Firstly, crush the garlic with a garlic press. Now, in a small bowl, mix the crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
Three (Combining the two): Drizzle all the dressing on top of the salad and mix until well combined.
Ta-da your crunchy, delicious salad is ready to be served.
Pro Tip: Serve this salad as soon as you make it, or put it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow it to absorb the dressing.
Variations & Substitutions
- Some commonly added vegetables to Malfouf Salad are radishes (they bring in a pretty colour), cucumbers or carrots.
- The kind of mint you use in this dish is totally up to you. I prefer fresh leaves. However, you may add dried mint.
- You can make this salad creamy by adding ¼ cup of mayonnaise or full-fat yoghurt to it.
How To Serve
I prefer to serve this salad with Lebanese Falafel, Chicken Kofta or Egyptian Kofta
Also, I love to use this salad as a filling for my Fried Chicken Burger sandwich or spoon over in my Mexican Shrimp Tacos or Mexican Chicken Tacos.
Recipe FAQ
By all means, this salad alone does not consist of any animal or dairy products. What you add on the side or what you like to have with it is totally up to you. So yes, this is a vegan salad.
If you'd like to skip the olive oil, add more lemon juice instead.
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Malfouf Salad
Ingredients
- 400 g white cabbage , shredded
- 1 cup parsley , finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon mint leaves , finely chopped
- 1 green onion , finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies: Shred the cabbage. Next, finely chop the green onions, mint and parsley. Now go ahead and add all of these cut veggies to a large bowl.400 g white cabbage, 1 cup parsley, 3 tablespoon mint leaves, 1 green onion
- Make the dressing: Crush the garlic with a garlic press. Now, in a small bowl, mix the crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, ⅓ cup lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt
- Mix: Now, drizzle the dressing on the salad and mix until combined.
Notes
- Serve this salad as soon as you make it, or put it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow it to absorb the dressing.
- It is easy to shred the cabbage yourself, as I did. However, you may use pre shredded cabbage from the store.
Farah says
I like to eat fresh green salad like this one, can't wait to try it.
Emaan says
A simple and healthy salad for the whole family! Thanks
Lily says
Can I add some seasonings such as paprika or cumin?
Radwa says
Although it is a well seasoned and flavoured salad but, of course, you can add any spices you like.
Elena says
I love cabbage in anything, especially in the salad, because it is crunchy. I also liked the dressing of this salad.
Kate says
I really loved this salad so much! it is super healthy and has lots of greens in it. I always try to eat as healthy as possible, and this is just perfect for that!