Mustard Cabbage Relish
Ingredients
250 g/8 oz/1 cup white sugar
750 ml/1 1/2 pints/3 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
125 ml/4 fl oz/1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 bunch gai choy
iced water
few slices fresh ginger
Directions
In a stainless steel saucepan bring sugar, water, salt and vinegar to the boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes then leave to cool completely.
Wash the gai choy and trim off the leaves, saving them to use in soup. Only the thick leaf ribs and tender stems are used for this relish. Cut into chunks and weigh 250 g (8 oz). Blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and plunge into iced water to stop the cooking and set the colour. Put cabbage and ginger in a glass jar which has been rinsed in very hot water. Pour in the cold vinegar mixture, cover and refrigerate for about 4 days before using. Serve as a relish with meals, sprinkling a few drops of sesame oil over if liked.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)