Chestnut Cabbage
A Sichuan dish with vibrant color and appealing aroma, made by braising steamed cabbage hearts with chestnuts.
Ingredients
Chinese cabbage hearts (peeled, stringed, cut into strips)
900 g
Chestnuts (boiled soft, shelled and peeled)
500 g
Lard (actual consumption about 50 g)
800 g
Chicken fat (used in portions)
60 g
Salt (used in portions)
7 g
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
7 g
Cooking wine
25 g
Chicken broth
15 g
Wet starch
10 g
Clear broth (for steaming cabbage)
250 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Peel the outer leaves from the Chinese cabbage hearts, remove the tough veins, and cut lengthwise into even strips. Rinse well, blanch in boiling water until just tender, then immediately shock in cold water. Trim into uniform lengths and arrange neatly in a bowl. Sprinkle with 3 g of salt, pour in 250 g of clear broth, and steam over boiling water for 5 minutes. Boil the chestnuts until soft, remove both the outer shells and inner skins, give them a quick toss in a little oil, transfer to a bowl, add a splash of broth, and steam until completely tender.
2
Step 2
Heat a wok until smoking, add 45 g of the chicken fat, and stir-fry the cabbage briefly. Add the chicken broth, cooking wine, salt, and the steamed chestnuts (drained of their steaming liquid) and let everything simmer together briefly over low heat. Transfer the cabbage to a serving dish, arranging the strips neatly. Adjust the remaining sauce with MSG, thicken it with the wet starch into a light glaze, pour it over the cabbage, and finish with a drizzle of the remaining chicken fat.
