One of the most versatile dishes in this world is the Thai-Chinese Jab Chai (จับฉ่าย) or vegetable stew or soup.  I personally think this is the perfect dish to cook after Chinese New Year.  A great way to use up all the pork, chicken, duck and whatnot that played such a vital part in the celebration.  I mean, honestly, what else does one do with 9 whole chicken, 9 whole ducks, or 9 large slabs of pork belly????  Yes, a lot is given away but I like to reserve a few to make jab chai – that hodgepodge of vegetables and meat boiled together until all are soft and brown.

Jap chai is commonly found in Chinese Congee places.  It’s never on the menu of fancy Chinese or Thai places.  In fact, I have been told it’s Teochiew in origin and was created by putting all leftovers in a large pot and let simmer together until all the flavors merge into one large hearty soup. Then again, there are purists who claim jab chai must include Chinese Mustard.  I have to agree with this.  It’s the mustard greens that gives jab chai its special light bitter taste. In fact this humble stew has had it’s fair share of facelifts in the past years.  It used to be just mustard greens and pork belly.  Then there is the more elaborate version with dried shiitake, cabbage, and daikon.  Today I see jab chai made with carrots, purple cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach……..but no mustard greens.  That to me is just plain veggie stew.  No mustard green, not jab chai.

Many households have their own versions.  Some add betel leaves and fermented soy beans.  Others add tofu.  My parent-in-law’s maid adds in cilantro roots, whole black peppers and galangal.  I like chewing on the black peppers and feeling them pop in the mouth.  But the galangal is a whole different story.  It doesn’t do much for the stew except gave it a very faint citrusy smell that I just don’t think works for this dish. As for the meat, I find the more various kinds added the more flavorful the broth.

At my mom’s place, jab chai is simply made by frying a few cloves of garlic, slices of pork belly are then added and fried lightly, the radish and bitter melon are added in with enough water to cover, then mustard greens are placed on top, a few tablespoons of soy sauce is added and everthing is left to simmer until soft.  (At this point the pot may look like it’s about to burst but in a few minutes the mustards wilt and shrink.)  What makes my house’s jab chai different from others, and I have yet to see it elsewhere, is the addition of lookchin or meatballs (the springy Asian type).  And we always made it with bitter melon and a few chili.  It’s one of my favortie versions.

Lately, I have been making a different version that merges my mom’s with my parent-in-law’s.  I made it with fresh beancurd sheets, meatballs, all the veggies chez Mom, cilantro roots, garlic, whole peppers, and schechwan peppers.  The first and last are my own additions. I like the texture of beancurd sheets and the szechwan peppers give the dish an extra kick.  This is probably the best thing about jab chai.  You don’t need a recipe.  It’s one of those add-whatever-and-as-much-as-you-like dishes (as long as mustard greens are included). Plus you get to use up all those neglected things in the fridge.  Including the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving.