Cabbage Chop Suey

Woo-hoo--not only did this recipe "primalize" with ease, but I finally found the perfect taste to serve it with--Melissa Joulwan's Egg Foo Yong from her new e-cookbook "Well Fed". 

I've had this recipe for aeons.  My grandmother passed it onto me when I was just a teen.  She says she ripped it out of a newspaper that was featuring ways to cook cabbage--she suggested she'd gotten it sometime "around the war".  See the bacon?  There's no shortage of bacon, and at the time this recipe was created, the world wasn't on their low-fat craze, either.  Back then, people were smart enough to know they cook things with bacon.  Bacon makes everything better.

This recipe is ridiculously easy.  And tasty.  And just too unusual to serve with meatballs or roasted chicken.  Make the egg foo yong.  Surely you have leftover chicken somewhere?  It's like this savoury giant egg-pancake full of cooked chicken and shredded cabbage and spices.  Melissa is brilliant with flavors and spices.  Sure, Melissa used a pancake mould for hers, but I just whipped out my cast iron skillet and made one big one to serve over the chop suey.  Eggs and bacon for dinner.  It's economical and creative!!

Alright, makes enough side-dish for about 5 people.

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon, about 1/2 lb, chopped
1 onion (or 1/4 spanish onion), chopped
1 1/2 c celery, chopped

1 c mushrooms

2 c shredded cabbage

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 1/2 c water

1 1/2 tbs arrowroot powder + 1 tbs water

1 1/2 tsp soya sauce

1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce

Directions:

Alright, so once you're done chopping everything into bite-sized pieces, and shredding your cabbage, whip out your frypan and cook up the bacon.  If there is tonnes of fat, you can drain some off, but you don't actually need to if you don't want to.  Add onions, mushrooms and celery.  Once onion is translucent, add your cabbage and green pepper along with water.  Simmer for 10 minutes until cabbage is tender.  While that is simmering, mix arrowroot and water in a small dish.  Measure out your soya sauce and worchestershire sauce in another little dish.  When your cabbage is soft enough for your liking, add the arrowroot and water, stirring as it thickens and coats the cabbage/vegetables.  Then add soya sauce and worchestershire sauce, stirring just until blended.  Remove from heat and serve!

Serve egg foo yong directly overtop, and don't forget to make her special sauce!  Have I said it enough?  Don't sweat the marginal amount of soya sauce I use.  Unless you have a soy allergy.  Then use coconut aminos.  Voila.