Simmered Cabbage with Beef

At the end of a work week, often I have lonely vegetables left in the fridge and I’m out of ideas on what to do with them. That was the case this week. I had a head of cabbage, some meatballs, and a shriveled up shallot that I refused to let die alone. I grabbed my cookbook from Cooking Light and searched the index for cabbage. Not only did it look easy and yummy, but the recipe actually called for my destitute shallot. I wasn’t going to have to resort to sneaky substitutions. My shallot had a purpose.   I made a substitution of olive oil for peanut oil and almonds for peanuts.

This style of cooking is  found in Northern Thailand and among the Shan people in Myanmar. It involves a slow simmer, under a tightly sealed lid, and a list of ingredients that have been combined with very little water and little or no oil.

Simmered Cabbage with Beef, Shan Style

1. Heat a wok or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add oil to pan, and swirl to coat.
3. Add shallots, salt, turmeric, and red pepper; cook for 3 minutes or until shallots are tender, stirring frequently.
4. Add beef meatballs; cook for 2 minutes or until the beef begins to brown.
5. Add cabbage and tomato; toss well to combine.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 30 minutes or until cabbage wilts.
7. Remove from heat, toss with almonds

This recipe appeared in The New Way to Cook Light (2012)