Creamed Napa Cabbage with Smoked Trout

Monday 11 May

There are very few Chinese dishes that incorporate milk products, and one is creamed Napa cabbage.  Previously we had done it with bok choy, but as we mentioned in last Tuesday's post, we still had a cabbage and a half left over from the two we bought at the farmers' market, so this was a go-to recipe.

We sliced the cabbage a bit too thin, I guess influenced by the slaw we made last time, and stir-fried it with a chopped clove of garlic and a mite of salt for a minute or so.   Then we lowered the heat, covered, and steamed it with a dribble of chicken stock, until it was very tender.  Then we uncovered the wok, dolloped in some heavy cream, and boiled it enough to thicken; you don't want to boil too much because water will just keep coming out of the cabbage and thinning the sauce.

People often serve this topped with slivers of Jinhua or Smithfield ham, so we crumbled in half a smoked trout fillet to get the same effect.

Actually, it tasted even better with the smoked fish than with the ham.