Beef and Pickled Shanghai Cabbage

This is a traditional dish in Shanghai, noteworthy because the vegetable with which it is prepared, Seut Choy, or Shanghai Cabbage, a leafy stalked vegetable, is never eaten freshly picked. It is raised to be preserved. People in Shanghai salt it for several days, then pack it in jars to be cooked with meats and fish. It is widely available in small cans; after opening, the cabbage can be kept in a sealed jar, refrigerated, almost indefinitely.