Napa cabbage is in season now, and I love to share a super-easy, delicious way to stir-fry it with a hot-and-sour flavor.
It is now the season for cabbage. There’s an ancient Chinese wisdom that speaks bu shi bu shi (不时不食) – “don’t eat what’s not in season.” One of the best examples of this philosophy is frost-kissed cabbage in my hometown on the mountain.
Every winter, when temperatures drop, cabbage is in a survival mode. The cabbage plant converts stored starches into natural sugars to protect it from ice damage. So the first thing we did after a morning frost was to harvest the cabbage in the backyard.
It is a sweet memory. Each time I cook cabbage in winter, it brings me back to that happy moment. Anyway, now it is the best way to enjoy cabbage in winter, and in today’s recipe, we will make a lovely hot-and-sour cabbage. This is a super-easy recipe with a hot, sour, and aromatic flavor that will boost your appetite.
Cook’s Note
You can replace dried chili peppers with fresh Thai peppers for a fresher taste. They may taste slightly different, but both are good.
Ingredients
- 1/2 head Napa cabbage, leaf part removed
- 3 tbsp. cooking oil, recommend lard + vegetable cooking oil
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 3-5 dried chili pepper or 1 tbsp. chili flakes
The sauce
- 1tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. dark vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. Oyster sauce, if you prefer a vegan version, skip oyster sauce and add another 1/4 tsp.salt
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
Step by Step
How to cut the cabbage
First, cut the cabbage in half. Then use the rolling cut technique -one half flat-side down. Make a diagonal cut, then roll the cabbage a quarter turn and make another diagonal cut. Keep moving and cutting. This creates irregular, chunky pieces with tons of surface area.
The best part of this dish is the cabbage stem. So you can remove the extra leaves and save them for soups or noodles. Wash well and drain thoroughly.
Heat the wok, then add oil and fry the garlic and dried chili pepper until aromatic.
Place the cabbage in, fry for about 1 minute over high heat, then add salt, sugar, light soy sauce, vinegar, and oyster sauce. Quickly mix everything well. Serve hot.
Ingredients
- 1 head Napa cabbage
- 3 tbsp. cooking oil recommend lard + vegetable cooking oil
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 3-5 dried chili pepper or 1 tbsp. chili flakes
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. dark vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1.4 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. Oyster sauce optional
Instructions
How to cut the cabbage
- First, cut the cabbage in half. Then use the rolling cut technique -one half flat-side down. Make a diagonal cut, then roll the cabbage a quarter turn and make another diagonal cut. Keep moving and cutting. This creates irregular, chunky pieces with tons of surface area.
- The best part of this dish is the cabbage stem. So you can remove the extra leaves and save them for soups or noodles.
- Wash well and drain thoroughly.
Fry up
- Heat the wok, then add oil and fry the garlic and dried chili pepper until aromatic.
- Place the cabbage in, fry for about 1 minute over high heat, then add salt, sugar, light soy sauce, vinegar, and oyster sauce. Quickly mix everything well. Serve hot.
