Learn how to make simple but very yummy pork and cabbage stir fry, named as Chinese cabbage dry pot in China.
One week ago, I visited a very famous Hubei style restaurants which is featured by the Chairman Mao’s red braised pork belly. We have some very impressing dishes including steamed fish head, shredded red bean pancakes and this dry pot cabbage. You can find it in the left corner of the image below. I am sure that the chef use a lot of oil, which is an universal phenomenon in China. There is an old saying describing this principle, as “礼多人不怪，油多不坏菜” meaning no people complains too many gifts and no dish is destroyed by too much oil. The former part might be right, but I hold a slightly different option about the later one. Too much oil sometimes do make dishes as a failure. 
Dry pot (100% avoid water) in Hunan and Hubei is slightly different from the versions from Sichuan cuisine. In Sichuan area, we usually mix lots of ingredients, usually meat (fish, shrimp, chicken wings and ribs), all types of vegetables with lots of spices and seasonings. I will introduce a real Sichuan version and teach you how to customize your own homemade version base on a regular formula very soon. In Hubei area, most of the dishes can be made as dry pot. Dry pot vegetable, dry pot pig’s large intestines, dry pot chicken. It use very simple ingredients but the fresh chili red peppers (I believe is Facing Heaven) brings a very strong freshness and hotness, and for this dish, comparing very good with the faint sweet taste of the cabbage itself.
A fact is that when you eat this in restaurant, the cabbage leaves are not well washed in order to keep it dry. Sound horrible right? But that’s almost the fact in China. I cannot accept raw cabbage anyway. So I still wash the large leaves carefully and then drain the shredded smaller pieces with a salad drainer. The key step of this dish is to make sure there is no water attached. Water spoils the flavors. 
Ingredients
- 100g pork belly, skin removed and sliced
- 5 large leaves of cabbage, washed, hand shredded and completely drained
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 small chunk of ginger, sliced
- 4 fresh Thai peppers, cut into small circles
- 3 green onions, cut into small sections and separate green parts and white part
Seasonings
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
Steps
Spread a very little amount of oil in wok and fry the pork belly until cured and browned. Move them to one side of the wok.
Place garlic, ginger, scallion white and Thai peppers. Fry for half minutes until aromatic.
Add cabbage in, make a quick stir fry, then add light soy sauce, salt and sugar. Mix in sesame oil too. Serve hot.
- 100 g pork belly skin removed and sliced
- 5 large leaves of cabbage washed, hand shredded and completely drained
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 small chunk of ginger sliced
- 4 fresh Thai peppers cut into small circles
- 3 green onions cut into small sections and separate green parts and white part
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
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Spread a very little amount of oil in wok and fry the pork belly until cured and browned. Move them to one side of the wok.
-
Place garlic, ginger, scallion white and Thai peppers. Fry for half minutes until aromatic.
-
Add cabbage in, make a quick stir fry, then add light soy sauce, salt and sugar. Mix in sesame oil too. Serve hot.
Hi Elaine,
you are so right about pointing out to wash the cabbage properly. It might not be the case in China, but here in Germany in areas where there’s cattle or pig farming “natural fertilizer” is used for growing cabbage and other vegetables. That’s not generally bad and it’s been that way for hundreds of years, but you really want to wash vegetables properly before putting them in a meal.
I also like the proverb about the gifts and the oil. But I agree with you, too much is too much 🙂
Andreas,
The situation you described is actually the same thing in China. We grow the cabbage in the same way traditionally. But honestly, the cabbage cultivated in traditional way is better.
But most of the cabbage here in our market in grown in clean modernized green house. Still, I cannot accept raw cabbage anyway.
This looks amazing !! I can’t wait to make it 😊
Thanks Kelly. Happy cooking!
I just made it tonight for dinner and it tasted perfect. The light soy sauce was a nice subtle but tasty flavour to the stir fry.
Thanks Kelly for the feedback. Glad to know you love it too. Yes, using light soy sauce is a key step here.
Thank you for sharing this recipe I love pork and cabbage!
Happy cooking, Toon.
We made this with a little bit of roast pork and lop chong instead of pork belly and loved it. We ate it topped with an egg for breakfast. Mmmm…
Looks fantastic, Can I use Chinese cabbage for this instead of regular? I’ve never cooked with it before, but I’ve eaten it and prefer the taste. Also – I’m going to try this with soft bone pork pieces rather than belly. Such a simple, but effective meal.
Angus,
Chinese cabbage contains more water and so I think it is not the best choice. Because there may be more water after cooked. But you can have a try and let me know the result.
Elaine,
Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I lived in Nanchang for 6 years and this dish was a favorite of mine. I never learned to cook while I was there because I spent my time learning to cook American food that I missed instead. This is such a great recipe and tastes just like “home.” Having fun sharing it with my wife and kids that have never been to China.
Thanks Caleb!! This one is really delicious and easy to make at home. Happy cooking!
So simple, and so good! I forgot the sugar but I didnt even notice it. Next time I wont forget. I also did not have sesame oil, and used olive oil instead. It was still delicious. I will definitely make this again using all of the ingredients.
Thanks Kay for the feedback!! Simple ingredients create wonderful flavors. Happy cooking!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used chili flakes instead of fresh, kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), chinese cabbage and omitted the spring onions (didn’t have any!). It was still really amazing. My husband loved it!. Looking forward to cooking more of your dishes. Thanks for sharing your blog!
Hi Lee,
It is absolutely to change the side ingredients. Thanks for the feedback! Happy cooking.
Hi Elaine !
I have been watching your site and trying many of your recipes, firstly I think your husband is a lucky guy, to have a great chef right in his home.
My wife is chinese and we love food and the awesome techniques Chinese people use for thousands of years to prepare food and enrich their lives.
Again thank you for all you efforts and all the best to you and your family from Vienna.
Kind Regards Andy
Thanks Andy. Now finally, he confirm that he is the lucky guy. Haha. I am quite happy to be helpful and meet guys like you from the Internet.
WOW I am an amateur cook and have tried various Chinese dishes but this was fantastic and simple – it needs to be so. Keys to goodness: like you say keep it dry; keep the ingredients as stated – the flavor is then secure–very nice. Thanks for what you do
Joseph,
Thank you Joseph!!