My mom made this dish constantly when I was growing up and I hated it. But I always had to have a few bites. It seemed like we had it every other day. The crunchy pieces and the leafy pieces were equally bad to me. As I got older, it was a tolerated dish, with the crunchy pieces being easier to eat. Fast forward many decades and I haven't had this dish in ages. I found xia-mi (tiny dried shrimp) in the local asian store and tried to give this a go, using an internet recipe. (Couldn't get the recipe from my mom because she no longer believes in using xia-mi.) Thoroughly enjoyed it. Ginger was quite strong and I would try without the scallions next time.
- 1 chinese cabbage
- 2 T dried shrimp (xia-mi)
- 2 T oil
- 4 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces (I don't think my mom's recipe used this)
- 1" ginger, peeled and grated (nor this)
- 1 T soy sauce
- 1 T cold water
- 2 t cornstarch
- 1 t salt
- 1/2 t white pepper
- Place xia-mi in small bowl and cover with boiling water to rehydrate for 15-30 min.
- Split the cabbage in half lengthwise. Rinse it and shake it dry. Cut out the core and discard.
- Cut the cabbage into 1 inch pieces and separate into 2 bowls - one for leafy bits, one for thick white pieces.
- Drain the shrimp.
- In large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add scallions, ginger, and xiami. Toss until fragrant, about 1 min.
- Add the thick cabbage pieces and lower heat to medium high. Cook for 3-4 min until edges start to look slightly translucent but center is still opaque white.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add leafy pieces. Cook until wilted, about 2 min.
- Make cornstarch slurry: combine soy, water, cornstarch in small bowl. Pour over cabbage and cook until sauce has thickened.
- Season with salt and pepper.
