The presentations at the MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR were high in attendance. Everyone was excited and ready to learn! One of the Day 1 presentations included a cooking demonstration from Andrea Chesman, author of Recipes from the Root Cellar (Storey Publishing, 2010). In her demonstration, Cooking with Winter Vegetables, she prepared a couple of dishes using her favorite winter vegetables: root vegetables, hearty greens and winter squash. She was kind enough to share another delicious-sounding recipe with me. Enjoy!
Stir-Fried Cabbage in Brown Sauce
Chinese restaurants often offer “broccoli in brown sauce.” This is a variation on the theme, made with cabbage instead.
• 1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons peanut, sunflower or canola oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 head Chinese cabbage, trimmed and sliced
1. Soak the mushrooms in room-temperature water to cover for at least 4 hours. Drain, reserving the soaking water, and slice.
2. To make the sauce, combine 6 tablespoons of the mushroom soaking water with the oyster sauce, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
3. Heat the peanut oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cabbage and mushrooms and stir-fry until the cabbage is barely tender, about 3 minutes.
4. Mix the sauce to thoroughly distribute the cornstarch, then add it to the wok. Toss lightly until the sauce is heated through and thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Recipe courtesy Recipes from the Root Cellar(Storey Publishing, 2010) by Andrea Chesman.
