{"id":11865,"date":"2020-10-07T12:39:03","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T12:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redhousespice.com\/?p=11865"},"modified":"2025-11-02T18:33:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T18:33:19","slug":"stir-fried-napa-cabbage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redhousespice.com\/stir-fried-napa-cabbage\/","title":{"rendered":"Stir-fried Napa Cabbage with Hot & Sour Sauce (\u9178\u8fa3\u767d\u83dc)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pungent, flavourful in taste and crunchy in texture, stir-fried Napa cabbage with hot & sour sauce is one of the best ways to cook this versatile vegetable. This recipe shows you how to make it to a restaurant standard.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stir-fried<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

Napa cabbage: a versatile vegetable<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Known as Big White Vegetable (Dà Bái Cài\/大白菜\/) in Chinese, Napa cabbage (aka Chinese cabbage) plays such an important role that an old Chinese saying claims “Bǎi Chī Bú Yàn Dà Bái Cài\/百吃不厌大白菜”, meaning “One can never get tired of eating Napa cabbage”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It used to be one of the few vegetables available during winter in Northern regions of the country. So most home cooks, like my parents, master skills for cooking it in various ways. You can find it in salads, stir-fries, soups, dumplings, steamed & braised dishes, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although I love them all, my personal favourite has always been stir-fried Napa cabbage with hot & sour sauce (酸辣白菜). It’s a simple, humble dish that calls for common ingredients and requires basic stir-frying techniques. Yet, to produce it to a high standard (well-seasoned & perfectly-cooked), you’ll need to pay attention to a few important details.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

How to cut Napa cabbage for stir-frying<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"slicing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to cutting vegetables for Chinese stir-fried dishes, there are two general rules to follow: All the pieces are cut approximately the same size. This is to ensure even doneness during cooking. Cut the vegetable in a way that enables maximum surface absorption of flavours from the sauce.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

For this stir-fried Napa cabbage dish, I suggest you try slicing the cabbage this way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Cut off the end of the cabbage (about 1cm). Separate all the leaves with your hands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Lay one leave flat on the chopping board. Cut it into bite-sized pieces at a 30-degree angle. Repeat to finish all the leaves.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Another tip:<\/strong> Make sure to drain\/dry the cabbage leaves very well after washing as you wouldn’t want too much water going into the wok.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    How to create the best hot & sour flavour <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    In the list of popular flavours of Chinese cuisine, hot & sour could make it to the top five, particularly for people from the North and West of China. Good hot & sour dishes not only excite your taste buds with their pungency but also leave a pleasing aroma on your palate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The heat comes from dried chili<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In different dishes, this classic flavour comes from different ingredients. The famous Hot & Sour Soup<\/a> uses white pepper for spiciness. Hot & Sour Glass Noodles Soup<\/a> and Hot & Sour Beef Dumpling Soup<\/a> call for Chinese Chili Oil<\/a> instead. In today’s Hot & Sour Napa Cabbage, which shares the same seasoning formula with Hot & Sour Potato Stir-fry<\/a>, you’ll find dried chili as the heat source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Please be aware that the suggested quantity of dried chili in the recipe is for your reference. Adjust if necessary based on the heat level of your chili and your own tolerance to spicy food. The goal is to achieve a tangy kick but the dish shouldn’t be so hot that you lose the chance to sense other flavours. If you don’t have dried chili at hand, fresh chili would work too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    \"Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Use black rice vinegar for sourness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For the sourness, all of the hot & sour dishes mentioned above use Chinese black rice vinegar<\/a>. An underrated ingredient, compared to soy sauce, it’s absolutely indispensable when it comes to making authentic Chinese cuisine. As the key seasoning for this stir-fried Napa cabbage, it creates pungency as well as a rich aroma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I’m often asked what can be used to substitute Chinese black rice vinegar. Unfortunately, there isn’t a substitute. You might have heard some people suggesting balsamic vinegar. Believe me! They’re very different in taste. Since it’s the key ingredient for today’s dish, you won’t be able to produce the authentic taste without it. For best taste, I recommend you use Zhenjiang (Chinkiang) vinegar\/镇江香醋, a reputable variety widely available in Chinese stores.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    \"Napa<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Other seasonings you’ll need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Apart from dried chili and rice vinegar, you’ll also need the following ingredients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n