The Napa cabbage recipe is the best vegetable for your life partner. In this world, we need friends who can accompany and help us to survive and develop. In the world of vegetables, you can find Napa Cabbage which many people consider to be the best friend in building health. It can provide a quality of life that can make you continue to enjoy this life with your various works.
Characteristics of Napa Cabbage
This vegetable is crunchy, sweet, versatile, mustardy, and can last for weeks in the refrigerator, and you can use it again and again.
Napa cabbage is deliciously eaten raw, grated as a salad ingredient, steamed, baked in the oven, or fried with the sour and spicy napa cabbage recipe (Suan La Bai Cai).
This recipe is a quick and easy recipe to make, it first appeared in March-April 2023 from Cook’s Illustrated. This food was adopted from a favorite dish at a local Sichuan restaurant which is a place they often visit.
What Does Cabbage Dish Taste Like?
The taste is slightly sour because it uses Chinese black vinegar which has a sharp taste. But it will be addictive with its fruity and savory taste. This Chinese black vinegar is very useful in many dishes and can last a long time in the refrigerator. If you want to take the easy route, you can try replacing the balsamic vinegar with Chinese black vinegar. Indeed, the two are not the same but they can replace each other.
The spicy taste of the spicy and sour Napa Cabbage recipe dish is due to the use of dried paprika. This is exactly as stated in Cook’s Illustrated, Sichuan Facing Heaven chiles (available at Chinese markets) are the traditional chilies used. But the magazine notes that Chiles de Arbol could replace it.
How to Cook Spicy and Sour Cabbage
Napa cabbage is sliced with precession: The leaves are separated and stacked, with the white part in the middle cut into pieces. Then the stem is sliced at a 45-degree angle, this is important to create a larger surface area and so that the sauce can stick. The green frilly part is cut separately into 2-inch pieces.
Then, put it in a pan with chilies, the white part of the spring onion, garlic, and ginger because these ingredients cook longer, and then add the green leaves.
Whisk soy sauce, sugar, black vinegar, oyster sauce, and cornstarch together until a mush forms. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, providing enough sauce to coat all the ingredients evenly.
On the face of it, this recipe is simple but rich in flavor, savory, tangy, and spicy, and there is also a wine-like sweetness that accentuates the Napa cabbage. This is a simple but satisfying vegetable dish to pair with Asian spreads. The following are the materials that must be prepared.
Ingredients for Sour and Hot Napa Cabbage (Suan La Bai Cai)
This Recipe for 4 to 6 Serves
- 1 head Napa cabbage (2 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons Zhenjiang (also Chinkiang) black vinegar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 to 5 small dried chiles (Sichuan Facing Heaven chiles or arbol), stemmed, halved, and seeds removed.
- 1 scallion, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Step by Step Instructions
Discard any outer napa cabbage leaves that are damaged or torn, and peel enough leaves at a rate of 1 1/2 pounds, this is about 16 to 20 pieces.
Save the small leaves in front of the core for other uses, stack about 3 leaves of a uniform size, and remove the white part in the middle using a sharp knife. Cut the cabbage whites crosswise at a 45-degree angle by slicing them into 1-inch slices and place them in a medium-sized bowl. Do the same with the remaining leaves.
Beat soy sauce, cornstarch, oyster sauce, vinegar, and sugar, in a small bowl.
Take a medium or 14 cm frying pan, preferably non-stick or carbon steel, and heat it over medium heat until smoking. Add the chilies and cook, stirring with a spatula or with a wooden spoon until they turn brown, this takes about 30 seconds. Add ginger, white onions, and garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Increase the heat and add the sliced white cabbage, cook, stirring continuously, until the edges of the cabbage are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add chopped cabbage, cook, and stir until the vegetables are crushed and wilted, this takes 1.5 minutes.
Whisk the soy sauce mixture to mix the ingredients again and pour over the cabbage. Cook and continue to stir until the napa cabbage continues to mix evenly and the sauce becomes thick. Transfer the cabbage to a large serving bowl garnish with chives and serve.
