I recently wrote about another Chinese cabbage dish that I’ve loved since I was a little girl. And while this recipe for napa cabbage stir fry calls for the same main ingredient (Napa cabbage), it’s rather different. One of the biggest differences here is that this dish is all about the cabbage. The hot and sour napa cabbage is a Northern Chinese classic. This recipe only uses the white part of the napa cabbage to create a crunchy crispy texture. It combines dried chili pepper, garlic, and a mixture of Chinkiang vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar to make a fragrant hot and sour sauce that is lightly sweet. The contrast of spicy tartness with a little sweetness makes this simple stir fry a treat for the taste buds and makes you crave more. It takes very little time to make, too. You’ll spend 15 minutes prepping the cabbage and 5 minutes cooking it. Serve it with one of my other Chinese main dishes, or if you want a lighter meal, you can always enjoy it with hot white rice or some noodles.
How to prep napa cabbage
Use the white part
This recipe calls for the white part of the napa cabbage. This will create a crunchy and crispy result that pairs well with the sauce. To do this, trim off the leafy parts and leave only a bit of the green part attached. You can save the leaves for later use – they work best in soups and stews such as Napa Cabbage Soup and Braised Napa Cabbage with Glass Noodles.
Cut the napa cabbage the right way
Tilt your knife to a 45-degree angle and slice the cabbage into irregular bite-sized chunks with thin edges. This cutting method makes the white part of the napa cabbage absorb more sauce and become more flavorful.
Ingredients
Once you’re done prepping, your table should have the ingredients below: PS: I put the ginger and garlic in the same bowl because I add them in the same step in the recipe.
Cooking process
Once you’re done prepping, the cooking is the easy part. That’s it! NOTE: It’s very important to use a heavy pan and heat it up very well. You want to cook the napa cabbage fast so it will retain the crunchy texture and won’t release too much liquid to turn the dish watery. If your stove is not very powerful, I highly recommend you halve the recipe and cook it in a small batch.
Pair this recipe with these main dishes
The sauce is divine in its own right and I’m sure you’ll find ways to sop it up. What I love about this napa cabbage stir fry is that you can get it on the table fast, so it’s ideal for adding more veggies to your dinner in a pinch.
Ginger Chicken Stir FryHong Shao Rou (Red Braised Pork)Chinese Bang Bang ChickenCantonese Ground Beef Rice and EggsGeneral Tso’s Chicken (Crispy Chicken Without Deep-Frying)
More Chinese side dish recipes
Choy Sum with Garlic Sauce4-Ingredient Baby Bok Choy Stir FryLeftover Ham Fried Rice with PineappleChinese Cauliflower Stir Fry15-Minute Garlic Noodles
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with. Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.
