Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for sweetheart cabbage and caramelised onion spaghetti | The new veganMeera Sodha recipes

An intriguing, punchy fusion of Taiwanese and Italian noodle dishes 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. 5 tbsp rapeseed oil 400g banana shallots (about 6), peeled, halved lengthways and finely sliced2½ tsp fine sea salt 300g dried spaghetti 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced1 small sweetheart cabbage (700g), halved and very finely shredded3 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 th