Asian Simplicity

Cooking a meal on a work night means I want something quick and flavorful and Asian is a great way to go. One of my favorite Asian things to cook is vegetables since you have such a wide variety to choose from - I can only take so many squash varieties during the fall/winter.

I decided to make some napa cabbage and it's so friggin easy, healthy, and delicious. Peanut oil over medium heat, cook garlic until fragrant (not browned), drop cabbage in and stir immediately so garlic doesn't burn. Salt and white pepper immediately. The key here is the amount of salt - you need to push it to the limit where it brings out the natural sweetness of the cabbage without being oversalted. Start slowly, taste and reseason...simple. Also, you need to cook it where it's soft, but not mush.




For the protein component, I decided to rock some jidori chicken (bone in) dusted with chinese five spice, japanese leeks, and a mix of japanese mushrooms. Again, dead simple and crazy flavorful. The gravy this thing makes is friggin awesome - shred up the chicken and combine with some white rice and the cabbage and you got a delicious healthy meal.