This final recipe comes from the book Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates, and details a dish invented on the fly by a Tibetan chef who was working at Moosewood many years ago. Though the book itself is below the par of most of Moosewood's books, this dish has been a guaranteed crowd pleaser with just about everyone I've served it to. The original recipe calls for this to be served as a burrito, though I find it's just as good on its own with rice. Additionally, this being a Moosewood recipe, the original was vegetarian, though my adaptation contains meat.
2 cups chopped onions
2 tbsp oil (I find that untoasted sesame oil is a great option, but avoid olive oil at all costs)
2 tbsp minced/pressed garlic
3 tbsp fresh ginger root
1 tsp salt
4 cups shredded napa cabbage
1 or 2 tsp asian chili paste (such as sriracha)
2 cups peeled and grated carrots
8-16 oz seitan/tempeh/chicken/pork
1 tsp dark sesame oil
To start with, let me say that I recommend preparing the ingredients beforehand, rather than on the fly. The shredding and grating involved in this recipe is fairly labor-intensive and the ingredients are subsequently added to each other fairly quickly.
Before, however, you tackle the vegetables, deal with the meat, if you're using meat. Though this is a stir fry, I don't recommend cooking the meat in the stir fry, as the flavor is less impressive cooked that way, and if you're going to use meat, do it justice and get maximal flavor out of it. I recommend salting and oven roasting it, similar to the roast chicken recipe. Allow it to cook until slightly browned, then allow to cool. When cooled, slice it into thin strips, perhaps a quarter inch wide. I typically use chicken thighs, but pork chops can be just as good.
Ok, now that you've finished prepping the vegetables, it's time to get to work. I typically use a wok for this dish.
Start by frying the onions over medium heat until golden brown. Add the garlic, ginger root and salt, and cook for about 2 minutes, until the aroma rises nicely. Next, stir in the cabbage and cook until the cabbage is limp (about 10-15 minutes). I recommend napa cabbage for this recipe, as it wilts well, and makes a great stir fry.
Once the cabbage is soft, add the chili paste, carrots and seitan/tempeh/meat. Cook 10-15 minutes more, until all veggies are soft and golden brown. When finished, remove from heat and drizzle the dark sesame oil over the dish and mix well. Serve immediately.
If the last dish didn't make you a fan of cabbage, this one is guaranteed to do so.
