Hot and Sour Cabbage Stir-Fry

Sichuan cooking is known for its combination of fiery chiles, heaps of garlic and sour notes from black vinegar. In this cabbage stir-fry, these flavours combine to make the humble cabbage shine. Choose flat-leaf cabbage, distinctive with its flat, oblong shape rather than round green cabbage for its sweeter, delicate taste.

One of the keys to success in any great stir-fry is the “mise en place”. This is the cheffy term for prepping your ingredients before cooking begins and gathering them at the stovetop. This practice allows you to be in one place, at one time, doing one thing. In this case, making an unreal cabbage stir-fry. Apply the mis en place rule of gathering and prepping all (at least most) of your ingredients before you heat your pan and watch your culinary skills soar.

Hot and Sour Cabbage Stir-Fry

Soo Kim

You'll need just five minutes to cook this very simple Sichuan-style stir-fry, which is both spicy and sour. Flat-leaf cabbage is ideal here because it maintains its crunch.

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Ingredients

• 5 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing vinegar
• 2 tsp water
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 6 oz thinly sliced pork belly, cut into chunks
• 5 cloves garlic halved lengthwise and smashed
• 5 dried red chilies halved, seeds removed
• 680 g flat-leaf cabbage or green cabbage torn into bite-size pieces
• 5 green onions or Chinese chives cut into chunks
• 2 tsp Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang)
• ¼ cup salted peanuts roughly chopped and smashed (optional)
• pinch kosher salt (optional)
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

 

• In small bowl, stir together soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, water and sugar; set aside close to stovetop. Arrange remaining ingredients (except oil) on rimmed sheet in bowls and place close to stovetop.
• Heat wok or large cast-iron pan over high heat. Add oil and heat until hazy. Add pork belly and cook, stirring, until browned and crispy, 2 to 4 minutes; remove fat to a bowl, leaving 1 tbsp in pan. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and chilies and cook, stirring, until garlic is light brown, 45 to 60 seconds.
• Add cabbage and drizzle over soy sauce mixture. Return to high heat, cover and cook for 1 minute. (Or if pan is too full, carefully slide mixture into large bowl, quickly toss and return to pan.) Sprinkle in green onions and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute.
• Drizzle over vinegar; toss and sprinkle with peanuts (if using). Gently stir, or slide into large bowl again to toss and return to pan; the cabbage should be crunchy and lightly caramelized. Remove from heat, sprinkle with salt (if using) and garnish with sesame seeds (if using).

Keyword cabbage, cabbage recipes, cabbage stir-fry, spicy stir-fry, Stir-Fry

Tips from the ELLE Gourmet editors

What is Shaoxing wine?

Shaoxing wine is one of the most popular Chinese cooking wines. Made from fermented rice, water and a little wheat it adds depth and complexity to many Chinese dishes from quick stir-fries to dumpling fillings and slow, meaty braises. It has a dark amber colour and a mildly sweet, fragrant aroma. Look for it in Asian markets, bottles may be labelled shaoshing. Dry sherry is an acceptable substitute if you can’t find it.

What is Chinese black vinegar?

Chinese black vinegar, or Chinkiang, is a rice vinegar made from sticky black rice. It is literally black in colour, like soy sauce and has a full-bodied, malty, complex flavour. Commonly used on cold noodles dishes and as a dumpling dip or sauce, it’s also an excellent finisher in Chinese-style stir-fries. It softens the rich, salty, spicy, soy flavours. Kind of like lemon juice in other cuisines. More readily available white rice vinegar is an acceptable substitute.

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