This Asian Pear Slaw is a little crunchy, a little sweet, and a little spicy! It pairs well with any Thai or Asian dish. Vegan and Paleo.
This Asian Pear Slaw isn’t remotely Italian, as I mentioned in my last post. With a couple of Asian pears in the fridge and plans to make spicy Thai Crab Cakes, I thought an Asian-style salad would be a perfect accompaniment.
Well, the Thai Crab Cakes totally fell apart and ended up as Thai Crab Cake Mush. The mush was tasty, but certainly not photogenic. That recipe needs some more tweaking before it deserves a place on this blog, where I test all my recipes at least twice and usually more before posting them. Thankfully, I have a cooperative and grateful husband who offers honest critiques of my cooking. For example, the first time I made this slaw, he thought it was much too pungent, so I reduced the amount of lime and ginger to allow the sweetness of the pears to shine through.
What are Asian Pears?
Asian pears, also known as Apple Pears, Chinese Pears or Korean Pears, are sweet and crisp. Their skins are sometimes a little tough, so I peeled them to make this simple tasty slaw. They’re available as imported fruit in stores now, but they also grow locally later in the year, and if you’re lucky to have a friend with a tree, beg a few. They’re absolutely delicious.
Use a julienne tool if you have one. If not, you could grate the Asian pear and the celery or cut them with a sharp knife into fine match sticks. Whisk together the ginger, lime juice and rice vinegar and toss with the remaining ingredients. If you don’t like cilantro, you could substitute fresh parsley. Very simple. Very good.
Try this simple Asian Pear Slaw with any of these dishes
Ginger Garlic Glazed Korean Chicken Skewers
Asian Glazed Garlic Chicken
Healthy Open Face Thai Chicken Burgers
Easy Thai Chicken Skewers
Easy Thai Baked Chicken
Spicy Thai Wings
Crock Pot Sticky Chicken
P.S. I’ve perfected those Thai Crab Cakes since I first posted this recipe. Here’s the recipe:
Bangkok Crab Cakes with Spicy Thai Dip
- 2 large stalks celery, julienned
- 2 large (3-inch diameter) Asian pears, peeled and julienned, (also called apple pears)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced, (scallions)
- 1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp Thai chili pepper very finely chopped (optional)
- Whisk together the ginger, lime juice and rice vinegar, then toss with the remaining ingredients. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.
Tools I used to make this Asian Pear Slaw:
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Kari Peters says
I can see myself pairing this with everything Asian, the flavors are right up my alley! I’m excited to see your crab cake recipe, I’ve never done anything other than the traditional crab cakes, but a Thai twist sounds even better to me!
Flavour & Savour says
Hopefully soon, Kari! 🙂
Jenn says
This is a wonderful recipe! We received several Asian pears as part of our CSA and discovered we don’t like them very much as is. I couldn’t bear to waste them so I turned to St Google for help. This slaw transforms them into pure deliciousness. Thank you!
Flavour & Savour says
That’s a great way to avoid wasting them–transform them! I agree–that little bit of ginger and lime brightens them up. Thanks for letting me know, Jenn!