Spicy Slaw with Red Cabbage and Mango

This spicy slaw with red cabbage and mango is crunchy and flavorful, and the mango adds a wonderful sweetness to this salad. 

This slaw is refreshing and perfect for serving with grilled steaks, pork chops, short ribs, or spare ribs. You can also serve it with a sandwich for a light lunch. 

I had received a produce gift package with red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and a tree-ripened mango. Instead of making separate dishes, I thought it would be fun to combine everything to make a slaw and combine it with a slightly sweet gingery dressing with a hint of fresh chiles. 

After all, Brussels sprouts are part of the cabbage family and are wonderful when shredded when added to salads. In fact, I love keeping various cabbages in my veggie drawer. With just two of us, it's nice to have ingredients on hand for salads that  stay fresh and are long lasting. Just peel off the outer leaves. They always add crunch, color, and flavor to salads and are great added to stir-fried dishes and stuffed into bierocks (stuffed rolls) or egg rolls. 

Ingredients in This Slaw:

Red Cabbage: This adds color, crunch, and a slightly sweet mild flavor. It's great to have on hand to add to salads, slaws, and for topping tacos. I've used it in a fennel and citrus salad, apple and bacon salad, and apple and pecan salad, all with delicious results. 

Brussels Sprouts: Use the brussels sprouts as you would green cabbage in a slaw. The nice thing about the Brussels sprouts is that you can shred them very thinly. If you have Brussels sprouts haters at your table, just don't tell them. They'll never know. 

Radicchio: It looks a lot like the red cabbage, but has a more bitter flavor and is slightly softer. It's a great contrast to the cabbages. 

Scallions: White and light green parts. Thinly slice them on the diagonal. 

Mango: I used a tree-ripened mango from Melissa's Produce, They come different varieties. This one was a Kent. What mades them different is that they are left on the tree longer and allowed to develop flavor before picking. Extra care is taken when shipping. You do not have to use a tree-ripened mango if you can't find one. In fact, a slightly under ripe mango will work too in this slaw. 

P.S. Don't let the green color fool you. A mango can still be green on the outside and be fully ripened. 

P.P.S. If you haven't tried it yet, be sure to try the magical dessert, Mango Cream. 

For the Dressing: Rice vinegar, mayonnaise (I used Kewpie), extra virgin olive oil, soy sauce, sugar, fresh ginger, minced serrano pepper, and salt and pepper. 

To Make the Slaw:

First, whisk together the dressing ingredients and season it with salt and pepper to taste. 

Next, layer the shredded cabbage, shredded Brussels sprouts, shredded radicchio, and sliced scallions in a large bowl, and top with the mango that has been thinly sliced. 

Finally, add the dressing and toss everything together, adding more salt and pepper as necessary. 

Easy, right?

Make Ahead Tips:

If you prefer a very crispy slaw, serve it right away. If you prefer it to be slightly softened, dress it and toss it about 20 minutes prior to serving. 

To save some time later, you can prepare and cut the cabbage, sprouts, radicchio, scallions, and mango in advance and keep each component separately in the refrigerator, later assembling the salad when ready to serve. 

You can also prepare the dressing in advance, however, be sure to bring it to room temperature before assembling and dressing the slaw. In the refrigerator, the olive oil will separate and sometimes harden in the cold environment. 

If you have leftovers, you can keep the bowl covered in the refrigerator for a day or two. It's great for nutritious snacking. 

Recipe Variations:

Instead of the Brussels sprouts, you can substitute Savoy or Napa cabbage. You could also omit the radicchio if you don't have any and just add more red cabbage.  

For the dressing, I used Kewpie mayonnaise, which you can usually find in Asian super markets or in the Asian section of your supermarket. If you can't find it, or don't want to add another dressing to your refrigerator, standard Mayonnaise will be just fine. 

"R" is for Radishes, Ricotta, Red Cabbage, Red Apples, and More!

As part of the 2026 Alphabet Challenge, we are sharing recipes that begin with "R" or include ingredients or methods that that begin with "R”:

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Ginger Grilled Chicken and Radishes
• Sneha’s Recipe: Homemade Ricotta Cheese 
• A Messy Kitchen: Migliaccio (Italian Ricotta and Semolina Cake) 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Mild Curry Chicken Salad with Diced Red Apple
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Mysore Rasam 
• Magical Ingredients: Ricotta Basil Rolls
• Food Lust People Love: Roasted Stuffed Chicken Parcels 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Spicy Slaw with Red Cabbage and Mango
• Blogghetti: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping 

Last year (2025) for the letter "R," I made Caprese Ricotta Toast. It made a wonderful breakfast! For 2024 I made Pan-Seared Scallops with Red Pepper Sauce. It's both tasty and pretty! 

Spicy Slaw with Red Cabbage and Mango

Yield: 8 Servings

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 30 MinTotal time: 30 Min

This spicy slaw with red cabbage and mango is crunchy and flavorful, and the mango adds a wonderful sweetness to this salad. 

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
• Salt ahd freshly ground pepper

For the Slaw

• 3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage, thick pieces removed
• 2 cups thinly sliced radiccho
• 2 1/2 cups thinly shredded Brussels sprouts
• 2 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced on an angle
• 1 heaping cup sliced, peeled mango (cut into matchstick sized pieces)
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions

To Make the Dressing

1. Whisk together the vinegar, mayonnaise, olive oil, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and chile in a medium bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Assemble the Slaw

1. Add the red cabbage, radicchio, Brussels sprouts, and scallions to a large bowl, Top with the mango slices.
2. Add the dressing and toss all of the ingredients together. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

92

Fat (grams)

5 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1 g

Carbs (grams)

10 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

8 g

Sugar (grams)

6 g

Protein (grams)

2 g

Cholesterol (grams)

1 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2026/09/spicy-slaw-with-red-cabbage-and-mango.html

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Adapted from an old Fine Cooking magazing from July 2008.  Thank you to Melissa's for the produce!