Pickled Snow Cabbage Stirfry

This should be my last post of the first weekend before medical school classes start! As I mentioned in my last post, I've decided to do some mass-cooking every weekend to sustain me throughout each week (which would be time-efficient and cost-efficient), but seeing as all I had made so far consisted of vegetables, I figured I better add some meat to my diet.

Speaking of vegetables, my dinner last night consisted entirely of vegetables and high-fiber rice. It was a big mistake - I tried running this morning before breakfast and nearly died from the hunger pains (it didn't help that I felt as if I were in a sauna - August in the East Coast = mass humidity).

But it was okay, because after going to Church, I met up with my friend Julie, whom I have not seen in 4 years, and we actually pigged out quite a bit in an Indian buffet. I've never been to an Indian buffet, and I've heard some rather interesting stories about them, but the restaurant we stopped at was actually really good. It was nice catching up and acting silly with someone similar to me again. Oh, and after seeing the UPenn campus, I am officially envious. That place is beautiful.

Anyway, I made another Chinese comfort food - pickled snow cabbage stirfried with dried tofu, edamame beans, bamboo, meat slivers, and a savory sauce. It's certainly not something you serve at a fancy event, but combined with a simple bowl of rice or noodle, it is literally a party in your mouth. And, once again, like all comfort foods, it always tastes better the next day.

Pickled Snow Cabbage Stirfry

Ingredients:

-3 airtight bags pickled snow cabbage (xuetsai)
-1/2 can bamboo strips
-1 bag frozen edamame beans, shelled
-1 chicken breast, cut into small slivers
-2 packs dried tofu, cut into strips
-2-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tbsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp cornstarch
-Soy sauce to taste
-Sugar to taste
-Sriracha sauce to taste
-Mushroom seasoning or chicken powder to taste

1. Marinade the chicken strips with 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp cornstarch, then cover.
2. In a wok, heat oil to high heat. Quickly fry the pressed tofu strips for 1 minute, then remove.
3. Add the edamame and stirfry for 1 minute. Remove.
4. Add the garlic and stirfry 1 minute, then add chicken strips and stirfry 1 minute. Remove.
5. Add the pickled vegetables and stirfry 1 minute.
6. Add the precooked ingredients, stirring constantly. Cook for about 3-5 minutes.
7. Add soy sauce, sugar, sriracha sauce, and seasoning to taste. Be careful - the pickled vegetable juice will already make the dish salty, so go easy on the soy sauce.

There are many ways to enjoy this dish. You can eat it with plain rice or noodles, atop noodles in soup, alongside porridge, or even stirfried with rice cakes. Sometimes I even eat it plain.