Hear me out: Cabbage just may be the perfect vegetable. Its sturdy composition means it stores well, making it one of the few vegetables consistently available year-round. In cold weather, cabbage adds freshness to stir-fries and long-simmered soups and stews.
Summer lets cabbage’s versatility soar. We slice it super thin for all manner of slaws and chilled salads. A serving of seared pointed cabbage at Lina Stores in London sparked an obsession with grilling a wide variety of cabbages. Cabbage deserves center stage for its flavor, tenderness, and affinity for char, especially in the warmer months.
Recently, we swooned over the grilled cabbage with chicken at Crying Tiger in Chicago. That dish uses one of our favorite condiments, chili crisp, to season both the grilled chicken and the accompanying cabbage, setting up a simple template for the recipe that follows.
The menu indicates that the dish is based on the classic Thai grilled chicken dish, gai yang. Traditional gai yang can vary greatly from cook to cook and may include coriander root, lemongrass, red chiles, and coconut cream. For summer grilling, I use a combination of fish sauce, soy sauce, refrigerated lemongrass paste, garlic, and turmeric for tons of flavor, which carries the same spirit into the home kitchen.
Choose loose-head cabbages, such as Napa or Savoy, for grilling. Large or small, they all work well. Bok choy, another member of the cabbage family, works well too.
Steaming the cabbage before grilling offers the best success for tenderness. Wedges steam nicely in the microwave oven with minimal fuss. Simply cut the cabbage into wedges, place in a microwave-safe dish, add water, cover and cook until the leaves are nearly tender. Be sure to drain well before grilling. A generous spray of oil will promote browning and help tenderize the cabbage as it grills.
For the chili crisp, check out the many brands and varieties at your local store. Some are spicier, perhaps more garlicky and chunkier than others, but you can’t go wrong. The popular Laoganma brand of chili crisps varies in heat and sweetness, while the Momofuku Original Chile Crunch has a touch of sweetness from coconut sugar. Be sure to read the labels; some may contain peanuts, which folks with allergies should know. You can add a spoonful of honey or agave if your brand of chile crisp lacks sweetness.
I like to grill-roast a whole chicken for a dramatic presentation for a party of 6. When crunched for time, choose cut-up chicken parts and reduce the cooking time by about one-third. Boneless breasts and thighs cook fastest, making the recipe easier to adapt.
Serve the chicken and cabbage with fresh herbs and warm flatbreads. Offer watermelon wedges to cool things down.
