Malfouf Salad is a popular Lebanese Cabbage Salad commonly served in Middle Eastern restaurants.
Malfouf Salad, also known as Salatat Malfouf, appears like a slaw, featuring thinly sliced vegetables and fresh herbs tossed in a creamy lemon and garlic dressing.
Our traditional quick and easy Malfouf recipe features flavourful ingredients like olive oil, garlic, lemon, parsley, mint, savoy cabbage, scallions, radishes, and honey.
This healthy Middle Eastern salad recipe is vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free.
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What Is Malfouf Salad?
Malfouf salad or cabbage salad, is a Lebanese salad, typically consisting of shredded cabbage, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and mint.
Our recipe is prepared with savoy cabbage but it can also be made with green cabbage or red cabbage depending on your preference.
Malfouf Salad is unique thanks to its very garlicky salad dressing, which is often served as a coleslaw with Middle Eastern grilled meats and falafel.
Travel to Lebanon by Making Malfouf Salad at Home
I love traveling to the Middle East and North Africa.
As a professional food and travel journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy amazing meals in the Middle East, from authentic markets to award winning restaurants.
For over ten years, I’ve been on the hunt for the best Malfouf Salad via adventures that had me zig-zagging through Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Dubai. You guessed it! Some of my fondest food memories while traveling in the Middle East include fragrant feasts featuring garlicky Malfouf Coleslaw.
I ate authentic Malfouf at a traditional Moroccan riad, on food tours of Istanbul and Bodrum, accompanied by Egyptian tea on a Nile Cruise and in bustling market in Cairo, late night snack in Amman, al fresco market lunch in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and accompanied by steaming bowls of soup at a massive Middle Eastern barbecue in the middle of the Dubai desert while belly dancers twirled under the night sky.
Where To Eat Lebanese Cabbage Salad
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Middle Eastern restaurant that serves a traditional Lebanese Cabbage Salad recipe.
Haven’t traveled to the Middle East before? It may be helpful to first sample Malfouf Salad at a local restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You’ll get an idea for how thin to slice the vegetables, how much garlic to add to the dressing and what dishes to serve alongside the popular vegan slaw.
In Toronto, popular Middle Eastern restaurants that may serve a traditional vegetarian Malfouf Salad include Parallel, Byblos, Tabule, Fat Pasha, Maha’s, Masrawy Kitchen, Masrawy Kitchen and Paramount Fine Foods.
My Family Loves Healthy Malfouf Salad
When my family moved to Oakville the first restaurant we visited was a local Egyptian and Lebanese restaurant called Agabi. Ranked as one of the best restaurants in Oakville, Agabi, became our family’s go-to Middle Eastern take out joint.
After falling in love with Middle Eastern food at home, we enjoyed vacations to the region, feasting on endless bowls of hummus, falafel and crunchy bowls of Malfouf Salad.
My family enjoys preparing this easy Lebanese Cabbage Salad recipe at the cottage in Muskoka during the summer or in the fall and winter in Toronto. It’s a delicious healthy salad to serve alongside spiced grilled meat, fresh seafood, Middle Eastern dips and crispy deep fried falafels.
The salad dressing is similar to Lebanese Toum, a pungent garlic sauce served on shawarma and kebabs.
Malfouf Salad Health Benefits
Our homemade Lebanese Cabbage Salad recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Olive Oil is ranked as one of the healthiest fats and is a staple in the Mediterranean diet. It contains vitamins E and K and plenty of beneficial fatty acids and antioxidants.
An excellent source of vitamins K and C, cabbage helps keep your bones, blood, and immune system healthy.
Scallions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Radishes are rich in antioxidants and minerals like calcium and potassium. Together, these nutrients help lower high blood pressure and reduce your risks for heart disease. The radish is also a good source of natural nitrates that improve blood flow.
A rich source of phytochemicals and vitamin C, lemons help boost your immune system and neutralize free radicals that cause disease and skin aging. Lemons also protect against heart disease and help improve blood flow to the brain.
An excellent source of vitamin K, as well as vitamin C, folate, and iron, parsley helps keep your bones and blood healthy, and protects your skin from damage by free radicals.
Fresh mint is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and can have a calming effect on the digestive system. It is also a good source of folate, which supports blood health.
Lebanese Cabbage Salad Cooking Tips
If it’s your first time cooking homemade Malfouf be sure to review our detailed step-by-step recipe below. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to get you started:
- We suggest using a mandolin to shred the cabbage into thin slices suitable for a coleslaw.
- We’ve used savoy cabbage in this recipe but you could substitute for green cabbage or red cabbage.
- We suggest using a food processor to prepare the garlic lemon salad dressing. This ensures it whips into a creamy and uniform sauce.
- We’ve used fresh mint from our herb garden in this recipe but you could substitute for a sprinkling of dried mint.
- We’ve added crispy radish to the recipe to give the salad a flourish of colour. If you aren’t a fan of radish feel free to omit.
What To Serve with Lebanese Cabbage Salad
If you’re serving a Middle Eastern lunch or dinner tossing together a Malfouf Salad is a must!
The simple Lebanese Cabbage Salad perfectly pairs with homemade soups like Adas Bil Hamod, healthy dips like Za’atar Butter Bean Dip and Mutabbal, as well as spiced meat like Moghrabieh, Chicken Shawarma, Kibbeh Fried Beef Croquette, Shish Barak, Chicken Musakhan and Beef Kafta Afghan Kebab.
After dinner why not delight your guests with Middle Eastern desserts like Mahalabia and Sweet Lebanese Sesame Tahini Rolls.
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How To Make The Best Malfouf Salad Recipe
Lebanese Cabbage Malfouf Salad
Equipment
- Food processor
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Mandolin
- French knife
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1/2 Savoy Cabbage
- 4 Scallions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Flat Leaf Parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup Mint chopped
- 6 Radishes matchsticks
- 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 head Garlic (10 cloves)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Olive Oil
- 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest
- 1 tsp Honey
Instructions
- Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the cabbage in half down the centre. Finely shred through the tender leaves, working toward the cord. Discard any tough or rough sections. Place the shredded cabbage in a bowl and loosen leaves with your fingers.
- Add the sliced scallions, herbs, and radishes to the bowl, and pour the lemon juice over the ingredients. Set aside while you prepare the dressing.
- Using a food processor, blitz the garlic into a smooth paste along with salt. When the processor is running, slowly stream the lemon juice and then olive oil into the the garlic mixture until it thickens, allowing the mixture to blend after each addition. After all the lemon juice and olive oil has been added, keep blending for a few minutes until the mixture is light and airy then add lemon zest and honey.
- Spoon the dressing over the salad, and lightly toss so that the vegetables are coated. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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