Servings: 4 Prep: 20 mins Cook: 5 mins Total: 25 mins
It’s my understanding that the original “Crack Slaw” name comes from the addictive nature of this particular slaw.
While I can’t really do anything about the inception of the name, I have tried to give it a little boost. Just about every recipe I’ve seen for this amazing little dish is based on ground beef, cabbage and variations of ginger, soy and chilies. Yes, this is all tasty, quick, easy and totally yum, but I see it as a bit of my job to take things and kind of twist them around and have a bit of fun with them!
I’ve chosen to take the same flavors and build something a little fresher, a little more vibrant. I’ve added a few more veggies and flavors, and combined them with a nice very thinly cut flank steak. This is all finished with a spicy soy sauce, sesame oil and black sesame seeds.
It’s these little tweaks which take it from “Crack Slaw” to UBER Crack Slaw.
Green Onions Note: I had intended to add scallions (green onions) to this recipe, but that angry cold spot in my refrigerator got a hold of them and froze them into a hard dark green bundle of tundra-fied wonkiness. I’ve included them in the recipe, even if they are not in the picture.
Organization Note: I ALWAYS recommend reading the recipe first, then gathering the ingredients prior to cooking it. This recipe is no exception. The actual cooking time for this recipe is about 4 to 5 minutes, in a screaming hot pan. These ingredients are all cut very thin, with the idea being, they will cook REALLY quickly. If your ingredients aren’t cut and ready to rock, you’ll burn whatever is in the pan, or just create a whole big scene … and who really wants that! Be prepared to Wok it Out!
Uber Crack Slaw
Print RateIngredients
- 1 1/2 lb beef flank (tenderloin sirloin or ribeye, etc. will work, as well)
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger chopped
- 4 each garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 large carrot peeled
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 small head napa cabbage
- 4 whole green onions (scallions)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hot chile oil
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds (or regular toasted sesame seeds)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice your flank steak, against the grain, into very thin strips. One trick is to have the thin flank steak in the freezer. Remove it and put it into the refrigerator about two hours prior to using. It will still be frozen, but VERY easy to cut into thin strips with a knife. Slice and then add to a mixing bowl.
- Add your garlic, ginger and sesame oil to the mixing bowl, with the beef. Mix well and set aside. By the time you get around to cooking it, it will be mostly defrosted.
- Slice your carrots into very thin strips or "planks". Then, create a few small stacks of carrot strips, then cut down into very thin sticks. To be all "technical" about it, you want "carrot julienne". Set aside.
- Peel the hard fibrous string out of the snow peas and tear off the tops and bottom corners where the stem and weird little "feather" live. Create little stacks of 5 or so snow peas, then cut down into the stacks every 3 millimeters or so. You're also trying to make thin little snow pea "sticks". Set these aside.
- Cut your head of napa cabbage into quarters, lengthwise, so that each quarter is still held together by the small stem at the base. Then, starting at the end opposite the stem, cutting toward the stem every 2 or 3 millimeters, slicing each quarter into very thin strips. This will essentially "shred" the cabbage. Set aside.
- Slice your green onions into thin little rings. Set aside.
- Mix together your soy sauce with your hot chili oil. Many like to add a bit of "sweet" to this mixture. If you like a little sweet, feel free to whisk something sweet into this, as well. Set aside.
- Find your largest non-stick sauté pan or wok and get it screaming hot over high heat.
- Sprinkle your beef around the bottom of the pan, so that it's evenly spread, in a single layer, all around the pan. Do not touch the pan. Simply let it sear for about 1 minute. While it is searing, season the tops with a little bit of salt and pepper.
- Evenly sprinkle your carrot sticks over the beef and toss the entire pan around, so that the two ingredients are mixed. Let the pan sit for about 1 minute. Add a tiny bit of salt and pepper.
- Evenly sprinkle your snow peas over the beef and carrots. Toss the pan around to mix. Let sit for 1 minute and add a tiny amount of salt and pepper.
- Evenly sprinkle your cabbage and green onions over the ingredients in the pan. Toss everything together and let sit for about 30 seconds. Season with a little salt and pepper. Toss one more time and let sit for 30 seconds.
- Add your soy mixture to the pan and toss everything until it's well coated and the cabbage has clearly begin to whither and wilt.
- Divide your Uber Crack Slaw between 4 plates or bowls. Garnish with the sesame seeds. Serve with more soy and chili oil for those that may need it.
- Enjoy!
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* Learn More: More about this recipe and nutrition …
I know I’ll like this. Replace the beef with pork, up the cabbage a bit, add some celery and it’s pretty much what I’ve called "egg roll in a bowl." 🙂 Everyone I’ve served it to loves it.
That sounds fantastic, Maggie. Thanks for the tip!
We LOVED this! Even my carb loving husband was happy to have seconds without rice or potatoes!
It took awhile to prep, but it was WELL worth it!
We drizzled a bit of Sriracha Sauce on top because we love heat.
This will definitely be on the monthly roster! Thanks!
Fantasic, Susan! That’s what I like to hear! 🙂 Now that you’ve made it once, the next time will be twice as fast and probably taste just a little better, too! Sriracha is also a GREAT way to go! YAY! Thanks for sharing your enthusism. I love this one, too! 🙂
Any suggestions for a substitute for the spicy oil?
Hi Jenny, just skip it! If you don’t like spice, then … just omit it. It’s really only there to provide a bit of kick.
Do you have a replacement for soy sauce for those of us who are allergic or intolerant?
Hi Unknown, you can use coconut aminos. That should do it!
Just found your blog yesterday. Cannot wait to try this Uber Crack Slaw. Looking forward to more of your posts. San Diego is my favorite place in the world
Thanks for the kind words, Unknown. Welcome! 🙂
Deej – this was fantastic! I pinned this recipe many months ago and have been a little bit intimidated to try (have never cooked with cabbage or made any Asian-inspired dishes before), but when cabbage was 9 cents/lb last week I grabbed a head and thought now is the time. (Thank you for the tip on how to slice it)!
The recipe is perfect just as written. I used petite sirloin. The prep time was about 45 min for me as I’m not too quick with a knife…but once it hit the pan it was practically done.
Awesome, Bon! I’m thrilled to hear it! Did you use napa cabbage or the standard green? Either would work, but the napa cabbage is a bit more supple. I tend to prefer it for this kind of thing, but … either way would be fantastic! And … the next time you make it, I’ll bet you can do it in under 30 minutes, then 25 and … soon you’ll be able to knock it out in 15 minutes! 😉
OMG. DJ, you knocked it out of huge park!
I made this last night. Only changes I made was to sub pork chop for beef, and to add a couple of stalks of celery.
Incredible. Both Hugs and I ate until stuffed, and I’m jonesin’ for leftovers this morning.
Fantastic, RachelH! Yep … this and a pork chop?! Perfect combo! I can also see the celery slipping in there quite nicely. Well done! 🙂
Used pork chop instead of beef. Sliced thinly, etc.
I really want to try this but I’m allergic to a lot of fruits and veggies when they are raw so preparing the carrots and cabbage for this is not an option. Grocery stores sell bags of cabbage and carrots already cut up for coleslaw. Can I use that instead? If so, how much would I need?
Hi Tricia, the carrots and cabbage weight about 380 grams, combined. So, you’d want roughly an equal amount. In Imperial measurements, this is a bit more than 3/4 lb. or … about 13 ounces. I’m sorry about the raw issue. That’s terrible! I’m sure you’ve already worked out various ways to handle this, but it’s very common in professional kitchens for chefs to use latex gloves … like doctors might. They come in a variety of sizes and are fairly inexpensive. They would protect your hands from contact, while still giving you full range of motion and ability, with skin-tight gloves. You can order boxes on line quickly and easily. Just a thought!
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, it’s not just a contact allergy. If the item releases any kind of moisture, it affects my respiratory system. For example, when I used to prepare potatoes, I had to peel and cut them under water. Obviously this is not realistic when cutting things finely. My reaction is different, depending on the offending item, lol. Thankfully thoroughly cooked, I can eat anything. I’m looking forward to trying this, thanks again!
Hi. Jana here… again. Just had to comment on how incredible this was. The flavor was out of this world, and my guests for dinner today were blown away. So… thanks, yet again. I hope to not bombard you too much with comments, but I am loving your recipes and the breakdown on what’s what – you are making this a lot of fun/easy for me… and I’m thinking I’m going to be able to stay on track with my low carb way of life and have some delicious food to go along with it. Thank you! Cheers!
Awesome, Jana! I’m glad to hear it! Don’t worry about over commenting. I remember someone once commented to me that "Comments are the currency of bloggers". So … I guess the more comments I collect, the more value I’ve got! 😉 Ultimately, I’m here to help and am happy to answer any questions you might have. I love just good old fashioned comments, as well. 🙂
I would probably eat it with out the meat. Looks great….will have to try it.
Unknown, check out the Asian Slaw in the salads section for a meat-free and upscaled version of this recipe. I think you’ll dig it!
What is hot chile oil? Can I use another oil and some kind of chile sauce?
Hi Jenny, it’s a chili infused sesame oil. You could use "any" oil, really … but this combines fat with the taste of sesame seeds and chilies, all at the same time. So … use plain sesame oil and a touch of chili paste, if you’d like … or just use any oil and go without those flavors. It’ll still taste nice, even if it lacks those characteristics. I hope this helps! 🙂
Where is the sodium content in the nutrition chart, Too many forget this is important to many with high BP or Meniere’s disease…
For the one worried about sodium content, you can use coconut aminos instead. Hope this helps!
Hi Unknown, I left it out. The main reason being … I didn’t have room in the grid. The page collapsed on itself when I added it. I could have found a way, but opted not to. I never list salt in the recipes, as a result, the totals would always be inaccurate. Thirdly, the recommendations for salt intake are too low. More salt is acceptable to most people. That said … there are some who do need to pay attention to their sodium intake. In this case, my hope is simply that they’re aware of the ingredients they should avoid … and avoid them. I do my best to present a lot of information, but … do confess that sodium was cut. Sorry!
I am making this right now, but with Brocoli Slaw versus Cabbage. Smells fantastic.
—Reply posted by DJ on 1/22/2015
Fantastic. Be sure to let us know how it turned out! 🙂
I just made this, as written. the prep was a bit time consuming, but therapeutic. got me working on my knife skills! Had my mise en place ready, fired up my wok skillet to screamin, and got to tossing. IT IS WONDERFUL!! i was afraid the S&P with each step would be too much so i skimped on that, but i ended up needing a bit more of salt on the finished product. it was spicier than i anticipated, i never used that chili oil before! DELICIOUS though, not too spicy, just nicely so. i used a london broil for the beef, it was on sale, and worked out well. tender with the thin cut. thanks soooo much for the recipe, this is not my first time doing atkins but the first time using composed recipes (not just bacon and eggs till i’m sick and tired of it and quit), and my husband though not fully atkins is eating healthier overall too. you and the other contributors on the Low Carbing Among Friends facebook page have been really inspirational. thank you! this is the way i need to eat, forever. sugar makes me feel so bad!
—Reply posted by DJ on 3/12/2015
WONDERFUL!!! Thrilled to hear it! Yep, London Broil would work quite well with this, for sure. The thing about the salt is difficult for me to explain, but I think it’s a massive component in making food “just that much more delicious”. Salt is a flavor enhancer. Imagine something like pepperoni pizza. The idea is to have a little bit of pepperoni in every bite. Now, imagine if, instead, you took all the pepperoni for a single slice and stacked it all on one bit. It’s disproportionately balanced. The same is somewhat true with salt. If you season just a little bit, it gets mixed well with the food, including penetrating the surface of the food, enhancing the flavors of the ingredients, from the inside-out. If you just season at the end, it’s just on the surface of the food. The goal is to use the same amount of salt, but spread it evenly throughout the cooking process. I like to look at it like… every major step of the cooking process, wave the salt shaker over the food. You’re not FULLY seasoning it, at every stage … you’re just very lightly and lovingly building flavors, so that when you’re done, you’ve enhanced the flavors, from the inside out. Make sense? Yeah … sugar is pretty much terrible stuff. Thanks for the wonderful write up! 😀
Congrats on taking the time and making the effort to calculate macros. I am a physician, and am in the process of obtaining a Masters in Nutrition. Eventually, it is my goal to have a site that is more detailed in this regard.
We really liked this. Followed the recipe as written but my napa was HUGE so I doubled it. So glad I did!! Looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thanks!
I’ve been making this for a couple of years now (since I bought your books!) In a pinch I have used all sorts of pre-chopped veggies (Trader Joe’s is amazing). Right now I’m into the baby bok choy, broccoli slaw and cruciferous crunch collection with the pre-shaved beef. I do half and half soy to coconut aminos do add some sweetness with the bitterness of the kale, but it is so good. Thank you, DJ Foodie!