Crispy, hot, flavorful, and, most importantly, super easy to make Chinese-style hot and sour cabbage salad. It is a perfect side dish you can finish in 10 minutes.
To me, it’s like our lovely smashed cucumber. Side dishes are essential to every meal. Â It’s the ideal match for any protein dish, like red-braised pork, pan-fried pork belly, or even a honey-and-black-pepper pork chop. Â
Autumn is a harvest season, and we enjoy fresh dark leafy vegetables. When the temperature drops, the cabbages become sweet and crispy, especially after snow. Â Every year, I make large batches of pickled radish and cabbage to top our cold morning breakfast or serve alongside, sometimes kimchi too. Among those meals, we often provide light soups or porridge. Â A little crunch adds a lovely contrast to soft food and highlights the staple. Â
We adopted a popular Chinese cooking technique for the sauce, widely used in many chili-pepper-based cuisines: hot-oil pouring.
I love the sizzle when smoking-hot oil hits the spices. As the intense heat shocks the garlic and chili flakes, you can instantly smell a strong, sometimes slightly smoky aroma.
Pouring hot oil can transform a raw, pungent taste into something deeper and more complex, as we do with Biang Biang noodles.
Hot oil over crispy cabbage creates a brilliant flash-fry effect, keeping the leaves snappy and bright green. But it’s coated in a savory, fragrant hot flavor.
If you love simple, easy-to-make dishes, you’ll love our cabbage stir-fry and cabbage-and-pork-belly stir-fry.
Step By Step
Wash the cabbage and drain well. Â Then shred it finely. Â Transfer to a large bowl. Â Sprinkle with salt, mix well, and set aside. Adding salt helps to draw out the moisture. This helps it absorb the flavors and seasoning later. Â
Tips: When cutting the cabbage, try to remove the cabbage core and stem.
In a small bowl, add minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds, chili pepper, and several shredded chili peppers. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil until smoking hot, then pour the hot oil over the aromatics. Then add 1 tablespoon black vinegar, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mix well.
Lastly, mix the sauce with shredded cabbage and serve hot.
Serving Time tips
You can still taste the raw cabbage after mixing it with the sauce.  If you don’t like the taste, prepare the dish about 1 hour before serving.  It’s still crunchier, but much milder in taste.Â
What to match
I would love to share some of my best pairing ideas for this quick, easy, and delicious cabbage salad.
- Paired with steamed rice, noodles, porridge, or Chinese steamed buns. It is the best highlight. Â
- It also matches well with all braised dishes, especially pork belly. It’s an amazing partner for red braised pork belly, pan-fried pork belly, Lu Rou Fan, or deep-fried pork belly.
Ingredients
- Half of an organic cabbage
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Sauce
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. black vinegar
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 2 tbsp. smoky hot oil
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. papper flake
- 2-3 dried chili peppers optional
Instructions
- Wash the cabbage and drain well. Then shred it finely. Transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, mix well, and set aside. Adding salt helps to draw out the moisture. This helps it absorb the flavors and seasoning later.
- Tips: When cutting the cabbage, try to remove the cabbage core and stem.
- In a small bowl, add minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds, chili pepper, and several shredded chili peppers. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil until smoking hot, then pour the hot oil over the aromatics. Then add 1 tablespoon black vinegar, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mix well.
- Lastly, mix the sauce with shredded cabbage and serve hot.
