White Cabbage Signature

"... this is Your recipe.

...hand this recipe down to your grand-daughter... "

- from the mother who loves her mother's cooking -

White Cabbage Sign-Off
(serves 5)

• 1 full elongated white Chinese (Napa) cabbage
• full handful wolf berries
  
• 4 red Chinese dates (Jujube)
• half handful dried scallops
• half handful dried shrimps
• splash of Chinese Wine (Hua Tiao Jiu)
• 1 bottle Essence of Chicken
• few drops Benedictine DOM
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• pinch of salt & white pepper
• chopped garlic & ginger
• 5 big dried Chinese mushrooms
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cube chicken stock
  

Chop off the base of the cabbage, separating all the leaves, and rinse. Set aside and in a wok, heat enough oil to scald 3 to 4 leaves at a go (submerge one side of leaves in oil). The oil must be very hot so that the oil burns off relatively quickly. The kitchen will smoke very bad so keep ventilation under check. Scald each side of the leaves and remove quickly from the wok onto a plate, till all leaves have been scalded. Oil in wok is no longer needed. Using the oil drained from the scalded leaves, brown the garlic & ginger. Remove the garlic & ginger and pour in shrimps (pounded), scallops (pounded), mushrooms (cut into strips), chicken essence, water, wolf berries and dates. Add light soy sauce, sugar, salt & pepper, chicken stock & Chinese wine. Throw in cabbage and mix well. Cover and let it cook for 15 mins over low flame, stirring occasionally. Remove leaves from wok into casserole and pour everything else over.