We’re often asked what makes a good vegetable side dish for our most popular meaty recipes, like crispy chilli beef and sticky pork belly. We always recommend simple stir fried greens, which have a freshness and vitality that contrasts wonderfully with heavier dishes. There are so many incredible Chinese leafy greens to choose from, including pak choi, gai lan, gai choi, and water spinach.

While bok choy is now readily available in most conventional supermarkets, many of the other leafy Chinese greens are still the preserve of Asian supermarkets. Sometimes we crave a vegetable with a bit more body than delicate, crispy pak choi. What do we reach for when a trip to Chinatown is off the cards? Enter the cabbage: possibly the most underrated vegetable ever. It is absolutely perfect for stir frying, as it is robust enough to handle the mega heat of the wok while retaining its al dente bite. Today’s recipe is inspired by the ‘family style cabbage’ served at Silk Road in Peckham, a no-frills, family-style joint with cult status for serving up the tastiest food from the Xinjiang province.

We love this simple cabbage stir fry because it enhances the clean and delicate flavour of cabbage with the big hit of chillies and a sharp, vinegary kick. Try it with your next Chinese meal and you’ll never look at cabbage in the same way again!