Owen doesn’t ask for much food-wise. When you come right down to it, the kid will eat almost anything that isn’t in the squash family (though we have recently found that if you braise zucchini in a lemongrass coconut sauce, it becomes heaven in a five-year-old’s eyes) so meals are pretty easy around here. When he asked for “that rice with the egg in it” this week, I knew I had to cook up a batch of fried rice for him.

But this post isn’t about the fried rice (which in our house consists of whatever’s in the fridge and some eggs with tamari stirred in … if you want a real recipe, Pia’s pork and shrimp fired rice or Jeff’s grouse fried rice are what you’re looking for) — it’s about the garlicky Asian cabbage that I made as a side dish.

There’s this marvelous little Thai place down the street from us whose signature dish is the Yoong Tong special noodles. Rice noodles, ground chicken (or maybe it’s pork….), a sweet and salty garlicky brown sauce and lots of cabbage — that’s what I was thinking about when I was tossing things into the Le Cruset with my cabbage tonight.

As usual with my recipes, all measurements are approximate and you need to use your own taste buds and cooking preferences to make this recipe your own. I’m so sure the next time I make it I won’t look at the recipe and it will come out with a different personality just as delicious as this batch.

Garlicky Asian Cabbage

Ingredients:

• half a medium head of cabbage, thinly slice (I used my food processor)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 3 large scallions, sliced on the diagonal
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar (but I really just sprinkled)
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (again with the sprinkle … or was it a drizzle?)

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add a bit of oil and toss in the cabbage and garlic. Stir until the cabbage begins to wilt, then add the scallions. Add the fish sauce, tamari and vinegar and cook for a few minutes. You want the cabbage to be cooked but still crunchy, so if it’s mushy you’ve cooked it too long (You’re allowed one do-over since you still have half a head of cabbage left!).

Add the hoisin sauce and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and serve.

I loved this cabbage served with the fried rice, but it would pair nicely with chicken satay, any Asian-inspired rib dish, stir-fried tempeh or your favorite.