Miracle Cabbage Stir-Fry
Chinese home cooking is full of vegetarian fare that requires a quick toss in a hot wok, just like this sweet, savory, and slightly tart cabbage stir-fry. Green cabbage retains its crunch, while earthy black vinegar—a must-get for this recipe and a pantry all-star for those who love Chinese cooking—does the heavy lifting for flavor.
Chinese cabbage stir-fry is best-known in the US as a Sichuanese dish, packed with heat and tingle. But this is a simpler, more pared down version that my mother cooked for me shortly after I gave birth to my daughter, when I desperately needed fiber to deal with postpartum constipation. Though my pregnancy acid reflux had tamed, I needed a dish I could eat over and over again without overwhelming my digestive system.
If you’re not nursing a tender tummy, feel free to increase the number of chiles, and/or add crushed garlic along with it. The high-heat technique means it cooks in less than 10 minutes, so even if you’re not in need of more fiber, this cabbage is ready to be a weeknight staple. Eat it with white rice.
Stir-fries depend on a wide cooking surface and constant high heat to guarantee charred edges and a crunchy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside texture. If you find that your cabbage is turning brown too quickly, lower the heat accordingly.
All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Carbon Steel Wok
$66 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
10 minutes
Yield
2 main-course servings or 4 side-dish servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large wok or high-sided skillet over medium-high, swirling to coat bottom of pan, until glistening, about 1 minute. Crack 1 dried red chile (such as er jing tiao, bird chile, or chile de árbol) in half, add to wok, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to high.
Step 2
Add ½ medium head of cabbage (about 1 lb.), cored, cut into 1"–2"-long pieces, leaves separated, and cook, tossing constantly, until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt and 1½ tsp. sugar and cook, tossing constantly and adjusting heat as needed if browning too quickly, until about a quarter of cabbage leaves are browned in spots, 2–3 minutes.
Step 3
Reduce heat to medium, add 4 tsp. black (Chinkiang) vinegar and toss to combine. Taste and add up to another 1 tsp. vinegar if needed. Divide among plates to serve.
