Just like muqin made it

Occasionally I get cravings for Chinese takeout. Unfortunately I don’t have the budget or the metabolism for frequent takeout. I’ve tried making some dishes at home but they just don’t cut it. Probably would be a bit better if I used as much sugar and salt and oil as most Chinese takeout places but I don’t think I could bring myself to eat it then.

So, as with most dishes, my fridge was nearly empty. The half head of cabbage looked very lonely but I couldn’t think of anything good to go with it. I had been snacking on the ultra salty smoked tempeh (dubbed “fakin’ bacon”) when I realized that it would add some interest to the cabbage. Since I was short on time and ingredients, I sauteed the cabbage then added the tempeh, some crunch and a sauce. To my pleasant surprise, it tasted just like Chinese takeout! Success! And I hadn’t added a single grain of salt or sugar (although the teriyaki sauce and tempeh compensated). I was so thrilled to have a healthy but tasty alternative to takeout. Now if only I can replicate fried rice without the frying.

Teriyaki Cabbage: cabbage and smoked tempeh

Teriyaki Cabbage

• half a head of cabbage
• half a package of smoked tempeh
• small handful of sunflower seeds
• a few T of sesame oil
• 1T teriyaki sauce
• splash of lemon juice
• 1T rice wine

1. Shred the cabbage into medium size slices with a serated knife.
2. Heat 1-2T sesame oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the cabbage and stir until coated with oil and starting to sweat.
4. Add lemon juice and teriyaki sauce to the cabbage and stir to coat.
5. Drop the heat to low, cover and cook about 10min until wilted.
6. Set the cabbage aside.
7. Return the pan to medium-high heat.
8. Toast sunflower seeds in the dry pan.
9. Add 2-3T sesame oil.
10. Chop tempeh into small cubes then add to pan.
11. Stir the tempeh and seeds until they stick to the pan.
12. Add the rice wine to deglaze the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan.
13. Combine the cabbage and tempeh mixture.

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Tags: asian, cabbage, cook, food, recipe, tempeh, teriyaki, vegetable, vegetarian