Napa cabbage is not only delicious but also nutritious. It's suitable for various cooking methods and can be paired with most dishes, truly deserving the name "versatile vegetable." Whether braised, stir-fried, stewed, or pan-fried, or used as a filling, in cold dishes, or for pickling, as long as it's cooked properly, napa cabbage is a dish you'll never get tired of. Here, I'd like to share my own methods for cooking napa cabbage.
Most Homestyle: Spicy and Sour Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage
Ingredients: 3 cabbage stalks, 6 dried chili peppers, 1 tablespoon (15g) sugar, 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt, 3 tablespoons (45ml) rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon (15ml) light soy sauce, 5 slices of green onion, 2 drops of sesame oil
Instructions: 1. Wash the cabbage stalks, cut them in half lengthwise, and then slice them at a 45-degree angle. 2. Break the dried chili peppers into pieces with your hands or cut them into strips with scissors (keep the seeds). Slice the green onion. 3. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. When the oil is about 70% hot, add the chili strips and green onion to stir-fry until fragrant. 4. When the chili strips darken slightly and you can smell the spiciness, add the cabbage slices and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add sugar, salt, rice vinegar, and light soy sauce, continue to stir-fry for 1 more minute. Drizzle with 2 drops of sesame oil before serving.
Nutrition Review: Napa cabbage is rich in vitamin C. Stir-frying over high heat and adding vinegar during cooking both help preserve this vitamin.
Simplest: Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage with Tomato and Tofu
Ingredients: 1/4 napa cabbage, 2 medium tomatoes, 1 box of northern tofu, 60ml olive oil, 2 tablespoons (30ml) light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
Instructions: 1. Wash the napa cabbage and cut it into shreds 7cm long and 5mm wide. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into 3cm pieces. Cut the tofu into 2cm cubes. 2. Pour olive oil into a skillet and heat over high heat. When the oil is about 70% hot, add the tofu cubes, reduce to medium heat, and let them sear for about 1 minute without stirring. Flip the tofu and sear until golden brown. 3. Add the tomato pieces and cook until they soften. When some juice starts to release from the tomatoes, add the cabbage shreds, sprinkle with salt, mix well, cover, and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. 4. When the cabbage shreds have softened, drizzle in the light soy sauce, mix well, and increase the heat to high for about 20 seconds before serving.
Nutrition Review: This dish is well-balanced and rich in various beneficial substances like calcium, soy isoflavones, and lycopene. It is recommended for those who need to supplement calcium, but may not be suitable for people with high blood lipids.
Most Nutritious: Fresh Shrimp and Jade Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients: 6 napa cabbage leaves, 6 chives, 2 eggs, 100g shrimp meat, 1 carrot, 1 small piece of ginger, a pinch of saffron, 1 teaspoon (5g) salt, 1/4 teaspoon (1g) MSG, 1/2 teaspoon (3ml) sesame oil, 2 tablespoons (30ml) starch water
Instructions: 1. Peel and shred the carrot. Mince 3 chives. Mince the shrimp meat. Peel and mince the ginger. Place these four ingredients in a bowl. Soak saffron in warm water for 20 minutes. 2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the washed napa cabbage leaves and blanch until soft, then drain and set aside. Blanch the remaining 3 chives until soft and set aside. 3. Heat oil in a skillet. When the oil is about 70% hot, add the carrot shreds, minced chives, minced shrimp, and ginger and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, MSG, and sesame oil, then remove from the heat and set aside. 4. Add more oil to the skillet, heat until about 80% hot, pour in the beaten eggs to make a thin omelet, then remove and cut into thin shreds. Mix with the filling from step 3. 5. Use the blanched napa cabbage leaves to wrap the filling and tie them with chives to seal. Place in a steamer and steam for another 5 minutes. 6. While the rolls are steaming, pour a little stock (or water if unavailable) into a pan, add the saffron soaking water, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and thicken with starch water. 7. Arrange the cabbage rolls on a plate and pour the sauce over them.
Nutrition Review: Shrimp is rich in high-quality protein, eggs are rich in various nutrients like vitamin A, chives are rich in dietary fiber, and carrots are rich in carotene. This dish embodies the principle of dietary diversity.
Best with Rice: Dry-Pot Braised Cabbage Stalks with Chinese Bacon
Ingredients: 400g cabbage stalks (about 6 stalks), 1 small piece of Chinese bacon, 3 green garlic bulbs (also called garlic sprouts in the south), 2 Hangzhou chili peppers, 2 tablespoons (30g) chopped chili, 1 tablespoon (15ml) light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon (3g) sugar
Instructions: 1. Rinse the Chinese bacon, place it in a steamer, and steam over high heat for 20 minutes. Let it cool slightly, then cut into 1cm thick slices. It's important to steam the bacon before slicing for a better, tender texture; avoid slicing first as it will lose more flavor. 2. Wash the cabbage stalks, cut them in half lengthwise, then slice them at a 45-degree angle. Wash the green garlic, trim the root ends, gently crush them with the side of a knife, and then cut into 4cm sections. Wash the Hangzhou chili peppers and cut them into sections. 3. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. When the oil is about 50% hot, add the chopped chili and stir-fry until fragrant and spicy. Add the Hangzhou chili peppers and Chinese bacon and stir-fry for about 20 seconds until the fatty parts of the bacon become translucent. Then add the cabbage stalks and stir-fry for 2 minutes. 4. When the cabbage stalks have softened slightly, add the light soy sauce and sugar. If it's not salty enough, add a little salt. Mix well, add the cut green garlic sections, stir a few times, then turn off the heat and serve.
Nutrition Review: Chinese bacon is high in fat and cholesterol. Pairing it with cabbage and green garlic helps to cut through the greasiness.
Most Refreshing: Beijing Hawthorn Cake and Cabbage Salad
Ingredients: 1 head of napa cabbage heart, 1 piece of Beijing hawthorn cake (hawthorn jelly), 1 tablespoon (15ml) white vinegar, 1 tablespoon (15g) sugar, 1/2 teaspoon (3ml) sesame oil, 1 teaspoon (5ml) osmanthus jam
Instructions: 1. Wash the napa cabbage heart, slice it thinly (the thinner, the better for flavor absorption), and then cut into thin shreds. 2. Slice the hawthorn cake, then also cut into thin shreds. 3. Place the cabbage shreds in a plate, drizzle with white vinegar and sesame oil. Add the hawthorn cake shreds on top, drizzle with osmanthus jam, and finally sprinkle with sugar. Mix well before serving.
Nutrition Review: This dish is not cooked, so it retains all the nutrients in the cabbage. Its sweet and sour taste is appetizing and aids digestion, making it especially suitable after eating a heavy meat meal.