This recipe comes from our former chair, Penny, who says "I call this six cabbage, but you can make it with whatever selection of cabbage, brassicas, and leafy green vegetables you have". The dressing is inspired by Madhur Jaffrey's Chinese soy sauce salad dressing.
500g green (or purple) leafy veg: for example, savoy cabbage, red cabbage, pak choi, spring greens, Brussels sprout tops, kale of all sorts, broccoli florets
1 small leek or three spring onions, thinly sliced
3 tbs sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic
Similar amount of fresh ginger
Olive oil or other vegetable oil
Dressing
3 tbs distilled wine vinegar
7 Tbsp light soy sauce, or two tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar (maple syrup or honey may be used instead)
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Additional oil (olive or rapeseed) to taste
Wash and prepare the leaves and cut off any particularly thick stems and stalks for blanching. Blanch stalks and stems for a minute or so in boiling water and drain well. Add to your salad bowl.
Toast the sesame seeds slightly in a dry heavy frying pan and set aside.
Finely chop garlic and fresh ginger. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan. In batches, stir fry the leaves, adding some more oil, garlic and ginger a few seconds before each new batch. Add each batch to the salad bowl, sprinkling with some of the sesame seeds each time.
For the dressing, place all ingredients in a jam jar and shake well. Add dressing to the veg to taste and toss well. Leave to marinade.
