CHOU VERT (BIG CABBAGE)

Serves 4 One of our favorite restaurants serves food from a country called Vietnam. If you’ve never tried this kind of food, you should give it a shot! Most Vietnamese restaurants are full of healthy choices for you, and their herbs and spices taste so fresh! Just make sure that what you order doesn’t have soy sauce, which often has wheat as a first ingredient. We wanted to use those Vietnamese flavors at home, so we decided to make this cabbage dish. We wanted to call it something fun, so we called it the French name for cabbage. It’s silly and fun to pronounce “shoe verr” when we talk about cabbage for dinner—makes it seem so fancy! We think it makes sense, since French was once spoken in Vietnam. INGREDIENTS • 3 Tbsp (45 ml) lard, or duck fat (our favorite) • 2 cloves garlic, minced • ½ head of cabbage, sliced into ribbons • 2 green onions, sliced • 2 tsp (10 ml) cilantro, chopped fine • ½ tsp salt INSTRUCTIONS AND HOW KIDS CAN HELP 1. Melt fat in a frying pan or wok over medium heat. 2. Add garlic and cabbage and toss in pan to coat thoroughly. 3. Continue to cook, stirring often, until cabbage is wilted and slightly browned, 6 minutes. 4. Remove from heat and mix in onion, cilantro and salt.

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Chou vert — French for 'big cabbage', pronounced 'shoo vair' — is a Vietnamese-inspired side of cabbage ribbons stir-fried in garlic and duck fat, finished off the heat with green onion and cilantro. Six minutes in a hot pan and the ribbons turn sweet, wilted, and browned at the edges. It's the vegetable dish people fight over leftovers of.

Pro Tips

• Duck fat is the favourite here for a reason — its richness carries the garlic — but lard, as listed, works just as well.
• Slice the cabbage into thin, even ribbons so they wilt within the 6-minute window; thick ones stay watery and raw at the core.
• Stir often and let a few ribbons catch the hot pan — those browned edges are where the flavour is.
• Add the green onions, cilantro, and salt only after the pan comes off the heat, so they stay bright and fresh-tasting instead of cooked dull.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does chou vert mean?

It's simply French for cabbage — a nod to Vietnam's French history that makes weeknight cabbage sound fancy. It's fun to say, which is half of why the dish got the name.

Can I use a fat other than duck fat or lard?

Any heat-stable fat works — tallow or coconut oil included. The duck fat just adds the most character against the garlic and cilantro.

How do I store chou vert leftovers?

Three days airtight in the fridge. Reheat it in a hot pan rather than the microwave so the edges re-crisp instead of going soggy.

What do I serve with chou vert?

It's built to sit beside grilled meats and Thai-style curries — anything saucy, because the cabbage ribbons soak up sauce like noodles.

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