I had some leftover Chinese Braised Beef and was looking for a vegetable to go with it and some rice.  We had a Napa cabbage in the refrigerator, and I found a stir-fry recipe for Napa Cabbage in Grace Young’s Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge.  Grace’s simple recipe calls for some prosciutto, and I substituted some Basturma (Armenian dried beef) which I had on hand.  That worked well.

The key idea is to get the skillet really hot and to cook quickly.  Unfortunately, we have an electric cooktop, which tends to be a bit slow.  This would be best with a gas cooktop turned up to 11 (in tribute to “This is Spinal Tap”).

1 small head of Napa cabbage (about 1 lb.

3 Tbs. chicken broth

2 Tbs. dry sherry (or rice wine)

½ tsp. cornstarch

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 tsp. minced ginger

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. sugar

1 oz. prosciutto (or Basturma) julienned

Quarter the cabbage lengthwise, and cut out the hard core from each quarter.  Cut the cabbage into 1-inch ribbons and place in a large bowl.  Sprinkle the cabbage with the salt and sugar.

Mix together in a small bowl the chicken broth, sherry, and cornstarch.

Heat a large skillet on high heat until a drop of water evaporates in 1-2 seconds.  Add the oil and swirl it in the pan.  Stir-fry the ginger until fragrant, about 15 seconds.  Stir-fry the cabbage about a minute to wilt it.  Mix again the chicken broth, dry sherry, and cornstarch and add it to the pan.  Stir-fry uncovered for about 15 seconds, and then covered for about 30 seconds.  Uncover and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the cabbage is tender-crisp.  Stir in the prosciutto, distributing it evenly, and serve.