Last year, the comedian Nish Kumar accused me of being in the pocket of “big cabbage”, because I was waxing lyrical about it. But look here, Nish, everyone is cabbage obsessed. It’s not just the Guardian; the internet is awash with “best cabbage” recipes and there’s a lot to love: it’s cheap, generous and genuinely delicious cooked and wilted down with onions (or shallots), as in this spaghetti. The inspiration behind the dish was a jar of Taiwanese Bullshead shallot sauce, a sweet, smoky and savoury sauce that I love to dollop into and on to all things eggs, noodles, vegetables and rice, but that I ran out of recently, prompting me to make a simple, store-cupboard alternative.

Sweetheart cabbage and caramelised onion spaghetti

You’ll need a large pan with a lid.

Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4

5 tbsp rapeseed oil
400g banana shallots (about 6), peeled, halved lengthways and finely sliced
2½ tsp fine sea salt
300g dried spaghetti
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 small sweetheart cabbage (700g), halved and very finely shredded
3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp caster sugar
Crispy onions (shop-bought), to serve

Put the oil in a wide pan on a medium heat. When hot, add the shallots and half a teaspoon of the salt, and cook gently, stirring, for 15-20 minutes, until very jammy and caramelised.

While the shallots are cooking, bring two litres of water to a boil in a large pan, season with the remaining two teaspoons of sea salt, then cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. When it’s close to being done, scoop out and set aside a mugful of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Stir the garlic into the shallots, cook for two or three minutes, until it smells fragrant, then add the cabbage and four tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Mix as well as you can (the pan will be pretty chock-a-block), pop on the lid and leave to cook, still on a medium heat, for five minutes.

When the cabbage has wilted and softened but is still bright green, stir in the Shaoxing, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar, then add the drained spaghetti and mix well, adding a splash extra of the reserved pasta water, if need be.

Take off the heat, divide between four shallow bowls and top with the crispy onions.