Hand-torn cabbage is a refreshing, crisp, and beloved home-cooked dish. The most distinctive feature of this dish is that the cabbage leaves are not cut with a knife, but are torn off and broken apart by hand. In fact, not just for this dish, when cooking at home, it's best to avoid using a knife for any vegetable that can be broken or torn by hand.
If you're not preparing for a banquet where aesthetics are important, hand-torn vegetables are the best method. This is because vitamin C, which is abundant in vegetables, is a nutrient that is very easily lost, and it is also found in relatively small amounts in other foods. Vitamin C is not only afraid of heat but also of metal. When you cut vegetables, the cell walls are damaged, and the metal blade of the knife comes into direct contact with the vitamin C inside the cells. This causes the metal to accelerate the oxidation of vitamin C, destroying its activity. Therefore, hand-torn vegetables can better preserve nutrients. Besides cabbage, other crisp vegetables such as bok choy, garlic scapes, romaine lettuce, and spinach are also suitable for being torn by hand.