This may be a stupid question: I' m going to make a Crunchy Vietnamese Cabbage

Cyn, for what it's worth, I made a thai beef & cabbage salad, then ate leftovers 2 days later.

It was STILL crunchy. Blew me away since salad greens begin to wilt within minutes.

 
I make Pat's Oriental Salad...same thing, still crunchy days later.

Actually, I usually shred the vegetables, then keep the dressing separate. Munch on it all week.

 
I think regular IS more sturdy because Savoy is rather . . . leafy. It's really great in stir-fries

because it's "lighter" than regular cabbage. Bok Choy is in the cabbage family as well but quite a different beast. (As is the turnip. Who knew?)

 
Not a real recipe, Cyn. Years ago a friend brought his Thai girlfriend over to visit and she made us

this salad:

For six of us she took

1 New York Strip steak
1 head cabbage (she used savoy...I use whatever I have)
red chili flakes
fresh limes
soy sauce
cucumbers
fresh mint
fresh cilantro
fresh jalapeno or serrano

She seared the steak in a hot cast iron pan just until the outside was charred, but the inside was still red. Removed to a cutting board (with edges!) and proceeded to slice it super thin across the grain and then cross-wise to make bite-size pieces. Then she cut one or two fresh limes and juiced them directly over the steak pieces. This cooked the red meat to a bare pink color. Be sure to keep the running juices...they're used.

She pulled off some of the outer leaves of the cabbage for wrappers and then shred the rest. Peeled & julienned the cucumber, minced the fresh herbs and mixed it all together with her hands, being sure to scrap in all the steak and lime juices. Season with salt & pepper to balance the lime juice, a bit of soy sauce and red pepper flakes. You may need more lime juice. She preferred to use freshly-made Thai chili paste to the red pepper flakes, but that's all we had. Trim the stiff core from the cabbage leaves, rinse and microwave for 10 seconds. This softens them enough to roll.

Dive in. Everyone take a piece of cabbage leaf, fills with the meat/slaw filling and rolls, then eats with their hands.

It was the most efficient use of a single steak that I've ever seen. And very refreshing on a hot summer day.

 
I think of savoy to regular as penne rigate to lisse. The texture of the leaves helps to hold sauce

so it's ideal for substituting for pasta with a creamy sauce. I think it also has more of a green leafy flavour than a cabbage flavour.

It is easier to use in cabbage rolls as it responds so well to being manipulated.

 
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