Sounds almost like an expletive, doesn’t it?  ”Cap Cai this, you!!!!” … excuse the weird sense of humor….

I made this dish to go with my siopao buns which, unfortunately, didn’t look worthy enough to be photographed. I thought a light vegetable dish would be a nice pairing with the sweetish buns.  It was perfect.

I first encountered Cap Cai in Jakarta, minus the noodles though.  It was just everywhere and reminded me of the chop suey we know in Manila, but not quite. Now I learned it’s Hokien in origin. I also found a simpler version, with just a bit of noodles like bean threads or bihon.  It’s vegetarian and really quite delicious in its simplicity.  Call it Chop Suey in its simplest form…

Cap Cai

2 tbsps.?cooking oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 medium sized carrot, peeled and sliced digaonally

2 dried Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted and sliced

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and sliced .1-in. on the diagonal

1 large celery stalk, sliced on the diagonal

5 green onion leaves, cleaned and cut 1-in. on the diagonal

1 small head Chinese cabbage (Pechay Baguio) cut in 1.5-inch slices

1/2 c. softened bihon noodles

1/2 c. water

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

Heat the oil in a wok over medium hight heat.  Add the garlic and stir fry for about a minute, add the mushrooms and stir fry a couple more minutes.  Add carrots, stir fry another minute and add the rest of the ingredients, minus the water.

Stir fry a couple of minutes, then add the water. Cover and lower heat to simmer about 3 minutes or until your vegetables are cooked crisp-tender. Correct seasonings before serving.  Always serve piping hot.