Napa Cabbage
Last year I struggled with what to do with Napa cabbage but this year two veins helped me get inspired: Vietnamese and Mexican cooking. Now I love it!
For Vietnamese-inspired meals I turned to Andrea Nugyen and made cabbage wraps (rice noodles, mint, basil, cilantro, cucumbers, carrots, fresh chiles, beef or pork, etc) always with nuoc cham. We also enjoyed Vietnamese-ish salads with lots of herbs and toasted peanuts. This is good with lots of types of proteins including shrimp and fish and rice, of course.
For a central American flair I make a quick salad with dried oregano and wine vinegar. Truly this is welcome next to grilled meat and even burgers, you don't have to make anything fancy. I also discovered a Mexican cooked cabbage salad that was a hit even on day two. I made it a couple times this summer, it was really good with grilled chicken.
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/basic-vietnamese-dipping-sauce-nuoc-cham.html
SPICY CABBAGE SALAD RECIPE (GOI BAP CAI)
https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2007/07/spicy-cabbage-s.html
Cooked Cabbage Salad by Diana Kennedy in My Mexico inspired by a recipe from 1831
1 small cabbage, about 1½ pounds (675 grams), washed well and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
4 unpeeled garlic cloves, crushed
1 quart (1 liters) boiling water
3 tablespoons mild olive oil
¼ cup (63 milliliters) finely chopped white onion
¼ cup (63 milliliters) loosely packed, roughly chopped parsley
¼ cup (63 milliliters) loosely packed roughly chopped pitted green olives
1½ tablespoons wine vinegar
Strips of jalapeño chiles en escabeche to taste
Add the cabbage, salt, and garlic to the boiling water and cook for a few minutes, until just tender but still slightly al dente. Drain well.
Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the onion, pars-ley, and a sprinkling of salt, and fry slowly until the onion is translucent. Add the cabbage and stir-fry until slightly wilted--about 3 minutes.
Transfer the cabbage to a bowl, stir in the olives, vinegar, and chile strips, adjust the seasoning, and set aside as suggested above.