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    Home » Recipes » Vegan & Vegetarian

    Chinese Cabbage Stir Fry

    May 11, 2018 by Elaine 50 Comments | Jump to Recipe

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    Easy Chinese style cabbage stir fry with garlic, green onion, ginger, dried pepper and Sichuan peppercorns.

    Chinese style cabbage stir fry

    This is one of the most common easy stir fry dish on my table- Chinese style spicy and sour cabbage stir fry.  The Chinese name for this easy cabbage stir fry dish is hand torn cabbage (手撕包菜). You many wonder why it should be hand tearing? Not cutting? Hand shredding can help to remove the tough part of the cabbage and keep the natural grains of the cabbage leaves. We cook the cabbage in a very short time and this type of quick frying can remain the crispy taste of the cabbage.

    Chinese style cabbage stir fry|chinasichuanfood.com

    If you happens to have Sichuan peppercorn and black vinegar at home, this is really a must try dish. Making this at home is so easy but it comes out super great and yummy. In my mind, it is the best way to cook cabbages.

    Chinese style cabbage stir fry|chinasichuanfood.com

    Cook's Note

    1. Heat your wok or pan at first before adding the oil. Since we are doing a quick frying, we need enough hot kept by the wok. Take full usage of the wok heating by moving the cabbage around the wok.
    2. The cabbage should be completely drain before frying. Only water on the leaves can spoil the dish by turning quick frying process into steaming or poaching.

    Ingredients

    • ½ middle size cabbage, hand torn and remove the tough parts
    • 2 garlic cloves sliced
    • 1 inch root ginger, minced
    • 3 to 6 dried chili peppers
    • ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn seeds
    • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
    • ½ tablespoon black vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon salt or as needed
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable cooking oil

    Steps

    Hand tear the cabbage, keep the tender green leaves only. Discard the hard white pate. Wash gently and drain completely. This is the key step to guarantee the success of the dish. 

    Chinese style cabbage stir fry|chinasichuanfood.com

    Heat the wok firstly, pour in oil. Add dried chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn too to fry over slow fire until aromatic. Then place in garlic and ginger.

    Chinese style cabbage stir fry|chinasichuanfood.com

    Add cabbage immediately. Quick fry the cabbage, add salt, light soy sauce and vinegar.

    Chinese style cabbage stir fry|chinasichuanfood.com

    This process should be finished within 30 seconds.

    Chinese style cabbage stir fry|chinasichuanfood.com

    Chinese style cabbage stir fry|chinasichuanfood.com

    Chinese Style Cabbage Stir Fry

    Easy Chinese style cabbage stir fry--hot and sour in taste.
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: stir fry
    Cuisine: Sichuan
    Keyword: Cabbage, stir fry, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 189kcal
    Author: Elaine

    Ingredients

    • 1 middle size cabbage ,hand shredded and remove the tough parts
    • 2 garlic cloves sliced
    • 1 inch root ginger ,minced
    • 3 to 6 dried chili pepper depending how spicy you want it to be
    • ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
    • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
    • ½ tablespoon black vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon salt or as needed
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable cooking oil

    Instructions

    • Hand tear the cabbage, keep the tender green leaves only. Discard the hard white pate. Wash gently and drain completely. This is the key step to guarantee the success of the dish.
    • Heat the wok firstly, pour in oil. Add dried chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn too to fry over slow fire until aromatic. Then place in garlic and ginger.
    • Add cabbage immediately. Quick fry the cabbage, add salt, light soy sauce and vinegar.This process should be finished within 30 seconds.

    Notes

    You can also add some protein in this recipe like bacon, pork belly or sausage.
    In order to make sure that the flavor is well absorbed by the cabbage, drain the leaves completely before frying.
    Recipe is firstly published in 2014 and updated in 2018.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1167mg | Potassium: 790mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 167.1mg | Calcium: 187mg | Iron: 2.4mg

    Chinese style cabbage stir fry|chinasichuanfood.com

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susanne

      December 26, 2014 at 8:13 am

      Very appealing dish - as always on your blog. I'll have a look for black vinegar next time I visit the chinese merchant. Is it consumed just like that or do you serve it with rice?

      By the way - I really admire the variety of your china.

      Reply
      • Elaine Luo

        December 28, 2014 at 8:14 am

        Hi Susanne,
        Thanks for the kind words. Black rice vinegar is a kitchen ingredient you should definitely try. It is really wonderful for so many yummy Asian salads or stir fry recipes

        Reply
    2. Nagi {RecipeTin Eats}

      December 27, 2014 at 4:27 am

      It's like you read my mind....I have half a cabbage sitting in the fridge and I was wondering what to make with it!! I have everything other than the sichuan peppercorns so I'm off to make this right now 🙂

      Reply
      • Elaine Luo

        December 28, 2014 at 8:15 am

        Hi Nagi,
        Frankly speaking, Sichuan peppercorn is the most wonderful spice for me. The flavor is very unique and go ahead and try it.

        Reply
    3. Qi Zhang

      January 02, 2015 at 3:25 am

      Hi Elaine, I found your blog through Pinterest. It's a great find. Do you ever write in Chinese? Looking forward to trying your recipes. Thanks and happy new year!

      Reply
      • Elaine Luo

        January 02, 2015 at 8:05 am

        Yes, on my notebook. I write them in Chinese. Happy New Year too!

        Reply
    4. Tumi

      January 24, 2015 at 10:31 am

      hi, what's the chinese name of the black vinegar? i live in shanghai and there are a million types of vinegar in the supermarket, i never know which one to buy! is it just 黑醋?

      Reply
      • Elaine Luo

        January 26, 2015 at 7:43 am

        Hi Tumi,
        The Chinese name is "香醋" or "陈醋". Black vinegar is referring to the color.

        Reply
    5. Dodojojo

      February 23, 2015 at 9:01 pm

      For the instruction to drain the cabbage-do you mean after washing it? Or after blanching it?

      Sometimes when I stir-fry cabbage, I blanch it with hot water as the ribs are tough. Do you shred the cabbage away from the ribs and throw them out the tough bits?

      Reply
      • Elaine Luo

        February 25, 2015 at 8:58 am

        Hi Dodojojo,
        For this dish, I just hand shred the leaves and throw away the ribs since we are doing a quick fry and the ribs will not be cooked completely.

        Reply
      • tim

        September 27, 2017 at 8:51 am

        It means, if you washed the cabbage, you need to make sure the cabbage is absolutely dry.
        Easiest and quickly way to do this is to put the shredded pieces in a salad spinner

        Reply
        • Elaine

          September 27, 2017 at 7:05 pm

          Great idea, Tim. If you have a salad spinner, it can be quite helpful.

          Reply
    6. Luigi

      April 26, 2015 at 3:25 am

      Hi Elaine, I have been so lucky to find your resourceful blog, full of beautiful pictures and wonderful recipes !!! I do love cabbage and I can't wait to try your delicious stir fry cabbage !!

      Reply
      • Elaine Luo

        April 26, 2015 at 8:43 am

        Hi Luigi,
        Thanks for the warm words. You should definitely try this. It is really yum! One of my favorite Szechuan dishes.

        Reply
    7. Tom Dowson

      May 14, 2015 at 4:25 am

      Hello and thank you for sharing this - I've had this a few times at a local restaurant in London that specialises in Sichuan province dishes . Apologies if you have already covered this but you mention "drain them completely" - do you blanch the cabbage in any way or do you hand shred it and add it to the wok raw?

      Many thanks again.

      Tom

      Reply
      • Elaine Luo

        May 14, 2015 at 6:51 am

        Hi Tom,
        I hand shred the cabbage. I mean after washing and shred the cabbage, you need to drain them otherwise the water will influence the taste in stir fry process, mainly reducing the absorption of the spices and seasonings.

        Reply
    8. Gwyneth Gordon

      September 12, 2015 at 4:56 pm

      Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! It is one of my favorites as it is inexpensive, filling and healthy. I was very happy to have a Chinese colleague ask if I was eating Chinese style, when he saw me eating it!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        September 13, 2015 at 7:10 pm

        Glad to know that you like it too, Gwyneth. I agree it is inexpensive and quite healthy. I cook it frequently too. Happy cooking ahead.

        Reply
    9. Shelby

      September 21, 2015 at 6:11 am

      Thank you for this delicious recipe. Cabbage, garlic and ginger are so beneficial to one's health!

      Cabbage is high in many vitamins, such as Vitamin C, which are harmed when cut with a metal knife. I really appreciated that the cabbage was torn!

      Can you please provide more information on Sichuan peppercorns? It's such an unfamiliar and hard to find spice for me.

      Hope to see more vegan and vegetarian recipes on your site! Especially those that make delicious use of tofu!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        September 21, 2015 at 8:32 pm

        Hi Shelby,

        I have posted some of the basic Sichuan peppercorn information, you can find it here https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/sichuan-pepper-introduction-and-sourcing-tips/. It is absolutely an excellent spices.

        And thanks for the lovely suggestion about vegan and vegetarian recipes. I promise to do my best in the following recipe plans.

        Happy cooking ahead.

        Reply
    10. Steph

      January 08, 2016 at 9:11 pm

      Hello I love the look of this cabbage dish. I just wanted to ask can you different vegetables instead? I've got some broccoli, baby sweet corn and green beans hanging around in my fridge.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        January 12, 2016 at 10:09 pm

        Hi Steph,
        I would suggest broccoli, cauliflower, lotus roots and green beans.

        Reply
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