Introduction: Chinese cabbage is rich in calcium, with milligrams of calcium per gram. A cup of cooked Chinese cabbage juice can provide almost as much calcium as a cup of milk. For those who don't like drinking milk, they can obtain a lot of calcium by eating enough Chinese cabbage.
The Value of Chinese Cabbage
1. Eating Chinese cabbage can supplement calcium. Chinese cabbage is rich in calcium, with milligrams of calcium per gram. A cup of cooked Chinese cabbage juice can provide almost as much calcium as a cup of milk. For those who don't like drinking milk, they can obtain a lot of calcium by eating enough Chinese cabbage.
2. Eating Chinese cabbage can nourish the skin. Chinese cabbage has a high water content and low calories. The air is dry in winter, and the cold wind can cause great damage to the skin. Chinese cabbage is rich in vitamins C and E. Eating more Chinese cabbage can have a good effect on skin care and beauty.
3. Eating Chinese cabbage can prevent cancer. Scientists at the New York Hormone Research Institute in the United States found that the reason why the breast cancer rate of Chinese and Japanese women is much lower than that of Western women is that they often eat Chinese cabbage. There are some trace elements in Chinese cabbage that can help break down estrogen associated with breast cancer. Chinese cabbage also contains a small amount of molybdenum, which can inhibit the formation of nitrosamines in the human body and play a certain anti-cancer role.
4. Eating Chinese cabbage can moisten the intestines and promote bowel movements. Chinese cabbage is rich in dietary fiber, which can play a role in moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements. For people who are prone to getting "heaty" (a concept in traditional Chinese medicine), eating more Chinese cabbage can help clear internal heat.
How to Cook Chinese Cabbage
1. Cold-dressed Chinese cabbage. In the north, this is also called a common cold dish. Shred the Chinese cabbage, and also prepare shredded lean pork, vermicelli, dried tofu shreds, and cucumber shreds. The shredded lean pork should be stir-fried until cooked, and the vermicelli should be cooked and then cooled. The dried tofu shreds and cucumber shreds can be shredded directly. Put all the ingredients in a small basin, add salt, MSG, vinegar, sugar, chili oil, garlic, green onions, sesame oil, and mix well.
2. Chinese cabbage dumplings. Frozen dumplings are also a dietary habit in the north, especially during the New Year. Every household will make some frozen dumplings in advance, which is very convenient when time is tight. They can be directly boiled and eaten. Among frozen dumplings, cabbage fillings are quite popular. How to make frozen dumplings with a cabbage filling? If you can't roll dumpling wrappers, you can just buy ready-made ones from outside, which is convenient and saves time. The key to delicious dumplings is the filling. Choose high-quality pork filling, mix it with chopped cabbage, add salt, cooking wine, soy sauce, green onions, ginger, and egg white, and mix well. If you feel the texture is not good enough, you can add some dumpling seasoning to enhance the flavor. Dumpling seasoning can be bought at any place that sells seasonings. When mixing the filling, be sure to stir in one clockwise direction, otherwise the filling will fall apart. After the filling is mixed, you can start wrapping. The balcony in northern China is a natural big refrigerator. Put the wrapped dumplings on the balcony to freeze for a few hours, and then they can be put in the refrigerator for later use.
3. Chinese cabbage balls. The ingredients needed are Chinese cabbage, radish, egg, flour, ginger, salt, and green onions. First, chop the radish and Chinese cabbage, then sprinkle with salt and let them sit for a while to draw out the moisture. Then squeeze out all the water. Chop the green onions and ginger, add them to the bowl with the Chinese cabbage and radish, add Sichuan peppercorn powder, cumin powder, beat in an egg, add flour, and mix. After mixing, you can deep-fry them. When putting them in the pot, control the oil temperature. If the oil is too hot, the balls will burn on the outside while the inside is still raw. After frying, take the balls out immediately to avoid over-frying.
4. Chinese cabbage dipped in sauce. Chinese cabbage is most nutritious when eaten raw, as its nutritional value is not lost without cooking. Some ingredients can be eaten raw, while others cannot, but Chinese cabbage can be eaten raw. For eating raw with sauce, it's best to choose the cabbage heart. Peel off the outermost layer of the cabbage to save for stewing or stir-frying, and dip the inner heart directly in the sauce. It is very sweet, juicy, and has an excellent texture. As for the choice of sauce, it can be according to personal preference, such as Xiangqi sauce, Korean chili paste, broad bean paste, or soybean paste.
5. Vinegar-braised Chinese cabbage. The ingredients needed are: Chinese cabbage, lean pork, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, dried chili peppers, green onions, sugar, white vinegar, and ginger. Shred the lean pork and the Chinese cabbage (remember to shred the cabbage lengthwise for better cooking). Marinate the shredded lean pork with some salt, cooking wine, and a little soy sauce for better flavor absorption. If you want the pork to be more tender, you can also add an appropriate amount of egg white and mix. Heat oil in a wok, add the Sichuan peppercorns and star anise and stir-fry until fragrant, then remove and discard them. Add the green onions, ginger, and dried chili peppers to the hot oil to stir-fry until fragrant. Add the marinated lean pork and stir-fry until the color changes, then add the shredded Chinese cabbage and continue to stir-fry. After the cabbage starts to release water, add the prepared sweet and sour sauce. How to make the sweet and sour sauce? Prepare a bowl, add salt, white vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and water, and mix well. After stir-frying and seasoning, you can dish it out.
6. Stir-fried Chinese cabbage with wood ear mushrooms. The ingredients needed are: lean pork, wood ear mushrooms, carrots, Chinese cabbage, green onions, garlic, salt, and soy sauce. Soak the wood ear mushrooms in advance, remove the stems, tear them into small pieces, and set aside. Cut the carrots into diamond-shaped slices, and the Chinese cabbage into diamond-shaped slices. Heat oil in a wok, use green onions and garlic to stir-fry until fragrant, add the shredded lean pork and stir-fry until the color changes, then add the chopped Chinese cabbage, carrots, and wood ear mushrooms, and stir-fry. Add salt and soy sauce to taste.
7. Stewed Chinese cabbage with vermicelli. The ingredients needed are Chinese cabbage, vermicelli, pork, and frozen tofu. Slice the pork belly and the Chinese cabbage and set aside. Heat an appropriate amount of oil in a pot, add green onions, ginger, and garlic to stir-fry until fragrant, then add the pork belly and stir-fry until the color changes. Add the Chinese cabbage and stir-fry, add some soy sauce for color and salt for taste. After the cabbage releases water, add water, then add the tofu and stew for 10 minutes. After that, add the vermicelli. Once the vermicelli is cooked, you can dish it out. Be careful not to stew for too long, otherwise the vermicelli will become mushy.