Sichuan Sweet and Sour Cabbage

 

I love a good head of cabbage. Who doesn't? Ah yes, those who get giant heads of cabbage week after week in their CSA box. Been there, done that. I wish I knew this recipe back then. This is a variation of a dish that I "discovered" in a local Chinese restaurant specializing in Chengdu/Sichuan Cuisine. 

2020: the year where I learned to cook several new cuisines including Chinese. This dish is a work in progress, but here's the last version that got as close as it was going to get. I never measure things, so all of the measurements are guesstimates. Let your eyes, tongue, and nose guide you.

Use a wok if you have one. I don't, but I use a cast iron skillet (10" or 13") for all my stir-frying.

Serves 2-4 (Depends if this is a side dish or main and also on the head of cabbage you have)

Ingredients

Cabbage - 1-2" large pieces, whatever you fancy. About 4-6 cups. Try and separate out each layer. Leave the rib in, the crunch is lovely. 

Garlic - 6 cloves, slices

Red Sichuan peppercorns -1 tbsp (or more)

Dry Red Sichuan Chilli pepper - 1-2 

Neutral oil (I use avocado) - 1 tbspn

Green onions for garnish

Sauce

Soy sauce  - 1/4 cup

Vinegar, distilled or black - 1-3 tbsp (adjust according to taste)

Sugar - 1-4 tsp (adjust according to taste)

Corn starch - 1-2 tsp

Mix the sauce components except corn starch. Once it is to your liking, add the corn starch powder and mix until it's dissolved.

 Method

1. Heat up the pan  on medium high and add oil. Once it's heated, add the sichuan pepper corns. Saute for about 1 minute and remove from the oil. You want the oil flavored but if the peppercorns burn, it turns the whole dish bitter. 

2. In the spiced oil, add garlic and dried red chilli pepper. Saute for 30 seconds and then add the cabbage. 

3. Cook for a 3 mins or so. You want it slightly under done because you still have to cook it for a couple more minutes with the sauce added. Stir the sauce and add to the pan with the cabbage. Keep stirring as the corn starch starts to thicken up the sauce and coat the cabbage. If you need to thin in out, you can add some water at this point. 

4. Once cooked, add scallions at the top and serve with hot jasmine rice.

Cabbage with turmeric

Holy cabbage, batman!!! It's 2012. This blog has been revived again! whoohoo!!

I decided to try out the local CSA box and just my luck, they give me a giant head of lettuce. It's HUGE! There's no way I would ever buy this much cabbage. It's enough to feed a small country.

Coincidentally I had a potluck to get to the following day and decided to make this classic indian style cabbage. It is generally paired with rice and something like this or this to make a complete classic Konkani/Indian meal. Pair with some yoghurt and you are set. Another selling point? Brassica/Cruciferous veggie paired with turmeric = anti-cancer all the waaaaaay!!

Serves 2

Ingredients

Cabbage - chopped or sliced - 2 liberal hand-full [2 cups, maybe?]
Onion- yellow (or other)- chopped fine - 2 tbspn
Black mustard seeds - 1 tspn
Asafoetida - 1 pinch [1/4 tspn]
Green Chillies [serrano or thai]- 1/2 [remove seeds depending on spice tolerance]
Canola or other vegetable oil - 1/2 tbspn
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn
Split chick pea / bengal gram [ can find in indian store] (optional) - about 15
Salt to taste
water -1-2 Tbspn

Method

1. Heat up oil in a wok [medium-high]. Add the bengal gram. Saute until it seems a little bit swollen and brown. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida. This will pop all over the place. use a lid to contain them.
2. Once the popping subsides, add in the onion. Saute until translucent.
3. Add chillies and cabbage. On top of cabbage add the turmeric and salt. Toss in the wok.
4. Sprinkle the water on this and then lower the heat to medium low and cover. Let cook for about 5 or so minutes. Uncover and let the water cook out.
5. Cook until completely cooked. I like it to have a little bit of a bite to it but also completely cooked. So keep an eye on it.

Enjoy.

Cabbage-Coconut Salad / Koshimbiri

Whenever I visit my mother's family (they are big on seafood) this salad is always a side dish. I recently picked up a gigantic cabbage in the market and just had to try this out. It turned out really delicious. I enjoy the crunch and the mild sweetness of raw cabbage and how it works with the red onions and coconut.

Ingredients:

Cabbage, chopped up - 1-1.5 cups
Red Onions, chopped up - 1/2-1 cup.
Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbspns
Fresh thai Green Chillis chopped up finely - 1 (use 1/4-1/2 serrano or jalapeno)
Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped - 1 tbspn or so.
Freshly squeezed lime juice - 1-2 tspn
Salt to taste.

Method:

1. In a bowl mix everything with your hands, really get into it as if you are trying to make some dough. This is to ensure that that the flavors of the cabbage, onions, coconut, cilantro, and chillies intermingle. Tossing a salad works only if the star is your dressing...not in this case.

2. Add the salt and lime juice and lightly toss. I don't like my salad too tangy. I enjoy the taste of the veggies with the coconut quite a lot. Give it a try!

It is generally served as an accompaniment to meals...very delicious with seafood based dishes and rice.