Yunnan goat cheese with broccoli and tomato - rubing chao xilanhua he xihongshi (乳饼炒西兰花和西红柿)

Yunnan goat cheese, known locally as rubing (乳饼), literally 'milk cake', comes as a pleasant surprise to most western – and Chinese – visitors to the province. Rubing is sold in markets throughout Yunnan as blocks of a firm white cheese with less of a pungent odor than goat cheese commonly consumed outside of China. It is often prepared as shuijian rubing (水煎乳饼) a simple dish in which slices of the cheese are fried and served with a salt and chilli or sugar for dipping.

Kunming kitchens are getting more adventurous with rubing these days, as exemplified by the addition of broccoli and tomato to the mix in this recipe.

Ingredients
100g of rubing*
1 medium sized floret of broccoli
1 large tomato
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tsp salt
Oil for frying

*Rubing is available from markets, some stores and a grumpy old fellow who often frequents the bird and flower market in Kunming. If you are outside Yunnan and cannot obtain it you may use the Greek style cheese haloumi as a substitute.

Method
Slice the rubing into small rectangles about half a centimetre thick. Peel the garlic and slice it thinly.

Chop the broccoli into small pieces and roughly chop the tomato. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a wok on a medium heat and add the rubing. Cook for around two minutes before turning over and cooking for another two minutes. The cheese is done when it has a nice golden brown coating.

Add some more oil to the wok if needed and turn to high heat. Put the garlic in the wok followed by the broccoli and stir fry for two to three minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes, salt and soy sauce and cook for about 30 seconds before returning the rubing to the wok. Lower the heat slightly and stir fry for a further minute or so. Transfer to a plate and serve alongside the other dishes in your meal.

Happy Eating!

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