Golden-browned smoked meat, fragrant bacon, onion and crunchy Peking cabbage make a hearty dinner from everyday ingredients. In about 10 minutes of sautéing, the flavors come together nicely while the cabbage stays pleasantly firm.
This dish is simply prepared in a pan and tastes best hot with roasted potatoes. The smoked meat broth gives the base a stronger flavor and helps the cabbage soften without becoming mushy. Adjust the amount of bacon, oil, and potatoes to your taste and portion size.
What You’ll Need
For the cabbage with smoked meat:
- a piece of bacon,
- 1 onion,
- oil,
- 1/4 head of Peking cabbage,
- salt,
- freshly ground black pepper,
- 200 g cooked smoked meat,
- about 50 ml smoked meat broth.
For the side:
- potatoes for roasting.
The given amount serves 2. The original recipe doesn’t specify the exact amount of bacon, oil, salt, pepper, or potatoes, so adjust these to your taste and the number of servings.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Preparing the ingredients: Peel and chop the onion. Cut the cooked smoked meat into smaller pieces and slice the Peking cabbage into thin strips. Also prepare about 50 ml of the broth in which the meat was cooked.
2. Rendering the bacon: Place a piece of bacon in a pan and let it slowly render. The released fat will create a flavorful base for sautéing the onion, meat, and cabbage.
3. Sautéing the onion: Add a spoonful of oil and the chopped onion to the bacon. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden and soft, so it develops a mildly sweet flavor.
4. Adding the smoked meat: Add the chopped smoked meat to the golden onion. Sauté together until the pieces are nicely browned on the surface and the flavors combine with the bacon and onion base.
5. Adding the Peking cabbage: Add the sliced Peking cabbage to the pan. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix thoroughly so the cabbage is evenly coated in the pan juices.
6. Deglazing and sautéing: Lightly deglaze the mixture with about 50 ml of smoked meat broth. Sauté the cabbage for about 10 minutes, until it softens but remains pleasantly crunchy. Stir as needed during cooking.
7. Roasting the potatoes: Roast the potatoes for the side until golden. The original recipe doesn’t specify the amount or exact preparation method, so adjust according to the potatoes you have available.
8. Serving: Divide the finished Peking cabbage with smoked meat onto plates and serve with the roasted potatoes. Serve the dish hot so the flavors of the smoked meat, bacon, and freshly roasted base stand out best.
How to Keep the Cabbage Pleasantly Crunchy
Sauté the Peking cabbage for about 10 minutes and check its texture. It should be soft but still slightly crunchy when done. Cooking it longer may cause the cabbage to lose its firmness and become too stewed in the broth.
That’s why only a small amount of broth is added as stated. Its purpose is to combine the flavors and moisten the mixture, not to create a large amount of sauce.
What to Watch Out for When Seasoning
Bacon, smoked meat, and smoked meat broth can all be quite salty on their own. Add salt carefully and check the final flavor after all ingredients are combined. Freshly ground black pepper complements the smoky taste and can be adjusted to your preference.
Final Tip
Serve the dish immediately after finishing so the cabbage stays firm and the roasted potatoes keep their structure. You can prepare the potatoes at the same time as the pan mixture, ensuring the meat, cabbage, and side are all hot when served.
