Peanut and Soy Rainbow Cabbage Salad

I came across this salad at a barbecue at a friend's house and I immediatley had to find out the recipe. The combination of flavours and textures is beautifully balanced, but it's also robust to ingredient subtitutions if you don't have the exact ingredients available to hand.

Ingredients

• 1/4 red cabbage, finely sliced
• 1/4 green cabbage, finely sliced
• 125g baby leaf spinach, washed and finely sliced
• 2 red peppers, trimmed, washed and sliced into thin strips
• 2 medium avocados, ripe and sliced into thin pieces
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 80g pomegranate seeds, or closest equivalent
• 4 tbsp a mix of chopped nuts, such as sunflower seeds, cashew nuts or others
• 120ml sunflower oil
• 90ml white wine vinegar
• 2 to 3 cloves of crushed garlic
• 60 ml (4 tbsp) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 1 tsp mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 mango, peeled and cut into small chunks

Method

1. In a large salad bowl, layer half of the two colour cabbages, spinach, red pepper strips, onion, pomegranate seeds and avocado.
2. Top with another layering of the remainder of the cabbage, spinach, red pepper, onion, pomegranate seeds and avocado.
3. Put a tablespoon of sunflower oil in a small frying pan and add the chopped nuts. Toast the nuts over a high heat for a few minutes, stiring it all up every 30 seconds or so and watching them like a hawk as it's very easy to get distracted and burn them. When they've started to develop a nice golden brown colour, turn off the heat and leave to one side to cool while you make the dressing.
4. Whisk together the remaining sunflower oil, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, peanut butter, mustard and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
5. Drizzle the dressing over the contents of the salad bowl.
6. Top with the toasted nuts and finally the mango pieces before refrigerating until needed - this is one of those dishes where a few hours of the cabbage sitting in the dressing does it a world of good in terms of flavour and texture, so do make it ahead of time.

Serves 4 to 6 people, depending on how much else there is to eat.