Recipe - Creamed Chinese Cabbage

1 (up to)
1 One half pound Chinese cabbage
2 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 cup Milk
3 tablespoon Chicken fat
One half teaspoon Salt
1 cup Stock
4 tablespoon Smoked ham
1 ds Pepper

1. Cut Chinese cabbage stems diagonally in 2inch sections. Stir cornstarch
into milk to dissolve.

2. Heat chicken fat. Add Chinese cabbage and stirfry 2 minutes.

3. Add salt and stock and bring to a boil. Then cook, covered, over medium
heat until cabbage is softened (4 to 5 minutes).

4. Gradually stir in cornstarch mixture over low heat (the milk should not
boil). Then simmer, covered, 3 to 5 minutes more, stirring once or twice.

5. Mince smoked ham. Sprinkle cabbage with pepper and ham. Serve hot.

NOTE: Unlike other Chinese vegetables, this one is better overcooked than
undercooked. Although milk is not often used, its presence here enhances
the vegetable's sweetness, freshness and delicacy. VARIATIONS:

1. For the Chinese cabbage, substitute Chinese lettuce, cut in 2inch cubes
or in strips One fourth inch wide and 2 inches long.

2. For the fresh milk, substitute One half cup evaporated milk.

3. For the chicken fat, substitute oil or lard.

4. In step 3, add to the chicken fat 6 dried shrimp (soaked). Stirfry 1 to
2 minutes; then add cabbage.

5. Omit the smoked ham. Garnish the cabbage instead with 4 fresh mushrooms,
minced and stirfried separately until cooked through.

From The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook, ISBN 0517658704. Downloaded
from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.