I’m back in Buenos Aires now, getting settled into a new place. The apartment is twice as big as the last two we’ve stayed in – still a studio apartment, but now there’s a couch! And the kitchen is much nicer, with a lovely gas stove and oven, a full-sized refrigerator, and ample counter space. It’s hard, though, to ramp back up with cooking, but I’ve learned to start off with simple dishes. Luckily, we’re near a great market with lots of fruit and vegetables vendors. And of course, I’m still carting spices around with me and (embarrassingly) some sauces, too… Asian sauces in particular (soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce) can be hard to find and expensive, so it made sense to take them to/from Montevideo (I think).
Anyway, on my first trip to the market, I just grabbed a couple of basic vegetables, including one of my favorites – cabbage. Not a lot of people are enthusiastic about cabbage, I know, but I love it. In salads, soups, or stir fries like this. When I came across this Thai recipe, I knew it couldn’t go wrong, but I wasn’t prepared for how flavorful such a simple dish could be. It could easily be a side dish to a Thai curry or a little midday snack, but served over rice (or quinoa, as I did) with chopped fresh vegetables (like the cucumber and tomatoes shown here) and, of course, nam pla prik on hand to add to taste, it makes for a surprisingly satisfying meal.
Thai Stir-Fried Cabbage (adapted from She Simmers)
Yield: 2 – 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil*
- 2 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bird’s eye chile, minced (optional)
- 1/2 head green cabbage, roughly chopped**
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp water
*Coconut oil would be best here, but any high-heat oil should be fine.
**You can shred the cabbage, if you’d like, or leave it in nice big pieces, or anything in-between.
Method:
- Heat a large wok or sautee pan over high heat, then add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, 2 – 4 cloves garlic, minced, and 1 bird’s eye chile, minced, if using. Sautee until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown, about 1 minute.
- Add 1/2 head green cabbage, roughly chopped, and sautee briefly.
- Pour in 1 Tbsp fish sauce and 1 Tbsp water, and let cook until the cabbage reaches the desired texture – 3 – 5 minutes for cabbage that’s still crisp or closer to 10 – 15 minutes if you like your cabbage soft.
