Chinese Cabbage with Carrot Sesame Rice
Today I’ve got a quick and easy asian recipe for you: grilled Chinese cabbage on top of a carrot-sesame-rice. The slightly sweet taste of the cabbage is perfectly accentuated by my favorite spice: soy sauce. I could use it everywhere! And that is also why I always have a 1 L bottle around at home. Jeong Kwan puts the importance of soy sauce in beautiful words:
“Soy sauce [sighs]. Soy Sauce makes me excited just thinking about it. Every food is recreated by soy sauce. Soy beans, salt and water, in harmony, through time. It is the basis of seasonings, the foundation.” – Jeong Kwan, admirable cook, who lives as a buddhist monk, in the show “Chef’s Table” (Netflix, 2017, 1. episode of the 3rd season)
Recipe – Grilled Chinese Cabbage with Carrot-Sesame-Rice
Amount: 2 portions
Prep time: 20 minutes
2 portions rice
4 Tbsp plain jogurt
1 tsp tahini paste
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp siracha sauce
1/2 tsp cilantro
Salt and pepper
2 Carrots
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Chinese Cabbage
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Cook 2 portions of rice according to packaging instructions.
Meanwhile, in 2 deep bowls mix together in each bowl 2 tbsp plain Jogurt, 1/2 tsp tahini paste, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp siracha sauce, 1/4 tsp cilantro and salt and pepper.
Grate 2 carrots finely and divide between bowls.
Wash the Chinese cabbage and quarter it. Leave the stem intact, because it needs to hold together the leaves.
Shortly before the rice is done roast the sesame seeds in a pan and set aside.
Drain the rice and set aside.
In the pan heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil until it is very hot. Then place the Chinese cabbage in the pan with the leaves facing down (careful of splattering). Pour 1/2 tbsp soy sauce over each quarter. After 1 minute turn to one side. After another minute turn to the remaining side. After 3 minutes total (the cabbage should not beginn to wilt), take it out of the pan and set aside.
Add the rice in the pan and stir to gather up all juices. Add it to the carrots and mix each bowl well.
In the end place the Chinese cabbage on top of the carrot-sesame-rice and garnish everything lavishly with the toasted sesame seeds.
The rice also tastes good cold as a salad. But the Chinese cabbage should be served shortly after cooking.