Red Cabbage Moo Shu

Moo Shu is one of our favourite Chinese takeout items because it’s not nearly as greasy as a lot of the other dishes, and it is loaded with vegetables. Traditionally, this dish uses Napa cabbage, and it is commonly served with shrimp, pork, beef, or chicken. Tonight, we’re mixing it up a little and using red cabbage to give this rendition a colourful and unique flare. Our other deviation from mainstream Moo Shu is that while the dish normally comes with a fried Chinese pancake, we tend use brown rice or noodles instead (hence why there is no pancake recipe below).

Time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients:

• Red Cabbage (Napa and Green cabbage will work too)
• Your preferred protein (Chicken is featured in the pictures, but beef, pork, tofu, and shrimp would be excellent too)
• Onion
• Any other veggies you plan to use. A few good ones are:
  • Red peppers
  • Bok Choy or Spinach
  • Shredded Carrots
  • Mushrooms
  • Scallion onions
• Soy Sauce
• Rice Vinegar
• Sesame Oil (plus a little hot chili oil if you want a kick!)

Method:

• Carefully slice your cabbage. I like to hold the root end up and slice down the sides. Then, I put the flat surfaces of the cut pieces face down on the cutting board and can essentially julienne the cabbage.
• Thinly slice all of your other veggies, and set them aside.
• Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet (I’m using stainless steel so the acidity of the rice vinegar doesn’t mess with my beloved cast iron pan), and add your sesame oil. Once it is hot, add your cabbage
• While the cabbage cooks, cut your protein into thin slices (unless using shrimp…then there’d be no need to cut the protein). For meat, this is easiest if you stash it in the freezer for a little before you start. It shouldn’t be frozen, but it should be firmer than completely thawed/raw, which will help!
• Add your onions and protein (if not using shrimp…if using shrimp, add it when you add the last set of veggies) when the cabbage starts to become a little tender, and stir it all together.
• Add your other veggies, some rice vinegar, and some soy sauce. You can always add more vinegar and/or soy sauce later, so don’t go too heavy handed here.
•  Let everything cook together for a little while until the protein is fully cooked, and the veggies are to your desired tenderness level. Add any rice vinegar or soy sauce as needed.
• Plate, devour, and enjoy! (Suggestion: top the dish off with some roasted sesame seeds)