Easy Stir-fry Cabbage
A simple dish of stir-fry cabbage is a very healthy and delicious side-dish to complement any Chinese home-cooked meal. I love to buy half a head of cabbage on my weekly grocery trip because it is cheap, versatile and keeps well in the fridge.
This simmered/stir-fry style is a popular side-dish in economical bee hoon.
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If you have limited time like me to cook on weekdays nights, this recipe is for you. Instead of prepping dried shrimps to sweeten the dish, I use instant chicken stock as a short-cut. Depending on the brand of chicken stock you use (the tetra-pak type is more rich; and those without MSG is less salty), you may want to season the cabbage stew with just a little light soy sauce or fish sauce (I usually don’t though). If you are cooking a Chinese clear soup on the day (such as ABC soup), you can also use that in place of instant soup stock.
Easy Cabbage Recipe
The cabbage used in this recipe is the round head type (aka Beijing Cabbage/高丽菜/卷心菜/gaolicai) and not the longish type aka napa cabbage.
Depending on the soup stock you use (the tetra-pak type is more rich; and those without MSG is less salty). Season this simple cabbage dish to taste with just a little light soy sauce or fish sauce if needed.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 3 slices ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- half carrot peeled and sliced thinly
- 250 grams or half a head cabbage roughly cut to large bite-sized or 2-cm pieces
- 150 ml chicken stock or any Chinese clear soup such as ABC soup
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- seasonings (light soy sauce, fish sauce or salt) if needed
Directions:
- Heat oil in wok; stir fry ginger and garlic until aromatic.
- Add carrots. Stir fry for about a minute.
- Add cabbage and stir fry until they start to soften. Add chicken stock and Shaoxing wine. Stir to coat everything evenly in the sauce, cover with lid and allow to simmer on low heat for about 2 minutes, and until desired softness is reached.
- Stir-fry briefly to toss the ingredients evenly together. Serve with steamed rice or fried bee hoon.