The brassicas are much revered in Chinese cooking, and dealt with elsewhere in this book, but the white cabbage, with its waxy leaves and crisp stalks, makes an excellent candidate for seasoning with the saltier accompaniments. On cold, rather gray days, the sort of day when nothing much happens, I often crave robust, dominating flavors—perhaps in a quest to inject some vigor into the occasion. Strident greens tossed in lip-tingling oyster sauce can be such a dish. In the last four or five years, this has become one of those recipes I use as a “knee-jerk” accompaniment—an alternative to opening a bag of frozen peas. It is excellent with grilled pork chops, though I have also eaten it atop a bowl of steamed rice before now.

　　

Ingredients

half a medium-sized cabbage

　　peanut oil – a tablespoon

　　oyster sauce – 2 tablespoons

　　

Step 1

Pull the cabbage leaves apart and wash them well. Taking two or three at a time, pile them one on top of another, roll them up, then cut into thin shreds with a large chef’s knife. The width of the strips is a personal choice but I tend to slice mine about the same width as pappardelle, the widest of the ribbon pastas.

　　

Step 2

Bring a pan of water to the boil, salt it generously, then drop in the shredded cabbage. Leave at a galloping boil for a full minute. Drain and return the leaves to the empty pan. Immediately stir in the oil and the oyster sauce. Toss and serve straight away.

　　Tender