Pad Pak Kat Khiao (Stir Fried Chinese Cabbage)

Following on from the weekend’s porky feast I decided a healthier vegetable side dish would go down well. This is a really flexible dish- It can be made with whatever crunchy vegetables you have in store and is a great way of using up left over veggies. Add in a few more varieties or perhaps cashew nuts too and serve with rice for a full meal. This version is as follows…

For 2 people I used:

• half a chinese leaf/cabbage, leaves cut into large chunks (available at all the main supermarkets)


• a broccoli stalk, cut into thick slices


• 2 small chillies (any colour is fine)


• 2 cloves of garlic (cut into slices)


• A good splash of oyster sauce (all supermarkets sell it- just make sure you get a bottle of plain oyster sauce, not sachets of oyster stir fry sauces, which often have lots of added ingredients)


• A good splash of soy sauce


• A pinch of sugar


• small amount vegetable/sunflower oil for frying

Get the oil heating in a frying pan or wok. When it’s hot, throw in the garlic and chillies and stir, just for a few seconds to flavour the oil. Add in all the vegetables you’ll be using and keep stir frying for a few minutes. Once the veggies have softened and maybe even a hint of charring to them, add in the oyster and soy sauces, followed by the sugar. Stir everything well for a minute more then serve out onto a plate. For some reason this tastes even better when it’s left to keep warm in the oven for 5 minutes before serving- give it a go, let me know what combinations of veggies you prefer.