Quick and Easy: East West Sloppy Joe

By Sarah Fritschner
Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)

Ground meats offer one of the easiest approaches to dinner. Throw together a variety of ingredients as easily as you might for a sloppy joe but serve it over rice instead of a bun. We used ground turkey, but you can use ground pork, too. (Chinese sesame oil is dark amber and extremely flavorful and is sold near other Asian ingredients at the supermarket.)

• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 piece fresh ginger, at least 2 inches
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 2 cups slivered napa, savoy or regular cabbage (or shredded packaged slaw)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Remove and discard root and any wilted green leaves from onions. Chop the onions. Peel ginger and grate or mince fine. Mince garlic. Combine half the onions, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Combine turkey, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and hot pepper flakes in a bowl. Slice cabbage if necessary.

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or wide, heavy skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add onion-ginger-garlic mix. Stir about 30 seconds. Add turkey mixture and cook one minute. Add cabbage and cook two or three minutes more, until the cabbage is tender (napa won't take as long). Serves 4. Serve over hot cooked rice.