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This is the fastest dish in the Chinese home repertoire and one of the best. Cabbage, garlic, dried chile, and a sauce of vinegar, soy, and sugar. The whole thing takes about five minutes and it goes with everything.
Two details matter more than they sound. The cabbage is torn by hand rather than sliced, and it has to be completely dry before it goes in the pan.
Dry Cabbage or Nothing
Wash the leaves and then dry them properly — salad spinner, then a towel. Water left on the leaves hits the hot pan, the temperature collapses, and you end up with grey, soggy cabbage in a puddle.
This is the single most common failure. It isn't a seasoning problem or a heat problem; it's a water problem.
Drop the Heat for the Garlic
Garlic and dried chile burn in seconds over high heat. Turn the flame down before they go in, let them perfume the oil for a few seconds, then add the cabbage and turn the heat back up.
If your garlic goes brown, the oil is bitter and you should start over. There's no saving it.
Vinegar Forward
The sauce is 1 soy : 2 vinegar : 1 oyster sauce : 1 sugar, plus a little salt and a pinch of chicken powder or MSG if you use it. It's noticeably more sour than most stir-fry sauces, which is the point.
Add it when the cabbage has just gone translucent at the edges — still with some crunch, not fully wilted. Toss over the highest heat for thirty seconds and serve.
Hand-Torn Cabbage with Garlic and Dried Chile
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium green cabbage (about 500 g), torn into 4 cm pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 dried red chiles, snipped in half
- For the sauce: 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp Chinkiang or rice vinegar, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, pinch of salt, pinch of chicken powder or MSG
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
Directions
- Tear the cabbage into rough 4 cm pieces, discarding the hard core. Wash and dry it very thoroughly — this is the step that decides whether the dish works.
- Whisk the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set it next to the stove.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Turn the heat down to low, add the garlic and dried chiles, and stir for about 10 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the cabbage immediately and turn the heat back to high. Toss it so the chiles come up off the bottom and don't scorch.
- Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the leaves turn translucent and the cabbage has collapsed by about half.
- Pour in the sauce and toss over high heat for 30 seconds, until everything is glossy and coated. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Notes
Dry the cabbage completely. A salad spinner plus a kitchen towel is not overkill.
Turn the heat down before the garlic goes in and back up once the cabbage is in. Burnt garlic will ruin the whole dish.
Thick cabbage stems can be sliced thinly and added with the leaves; they need the full cooking time.
This reheats badly. Cook it and eat it.
Adapted from a popular home recipe on xiachufang.com.
