Easy Chinese-style cabbage stirs fry with garlic, green onion, ginger, dried pepper, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Hand-torn Cabbage
This is one of the most common easy stir fry dishes on my table- Chinese-style spicy and sour cabbage stir fry. The Chinese name for this easy cabbage stir fry dish is hand-torn cabbage (手撕包菜). You may wonder why it should be hand-tearing. Not cutting? Hand shredding can help to remove the tough part of the cabbage and keep the natural grains of the cabbage leaves. The name comes from the fact that the cabbage is torn by hand rather than cut with a knife, which gives it a more rustic appearance and texture.
We cook the cabbage in a very short time and this type of quick frying can retain the crispy taste of the cabbage.
Ingredients breakdown
- Cabbage: Cabbage is the main ingredient in this dish, and it provides a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a crisp texture. When hand-torn, it creates uneven edges that help it absorb more of the seasoning.
- Garlic and ginger: Garlic and ginger add a pungent, slightly spicy flavor to the dish.
- Dried chili peppers: Dried chili peppers add heat and depth of flavor to the dish. The amount used can be adjusted to suit your taste preference.
- Light soy sauce: Soy sauce is a key ingredient in many Asian cuisines and provides a salty, savory, and unami flavor.
- Black vinegar: Black vinegar has a milder taste than other types of vinegar and is often used in Chinese cuisine. It adds a slightly sour flavor to the dish.
- Cooking oil: you can use either vegetable cooking oil or animal fat like lard in this recipe.
If you have Sichuan peppercorn by hand, you can also add some Sichuan peppercorn along with the aromatics. You can also use fresh hot peppers to make this dish.
Cook’s Note
- Heat your wok or pan first before adding the oil. Since we are doing quick frying, we need enough hot kept by the wok. Take full use of the wok heating by moving the cabbage around the wok.
- The cabbage should be completely drained before frying. The only water on the leaves can spoil the dish by turning the quick frying process into steaming or poaching.
Dry the cabbage completely before stir-frying
Drying the cabbage before cooking is important because it removes excess moisture, which helps to ensure the cabbage has a nice, crisp texture, absorbs more of the seasoning, and cooks more evenly and quickly.
Instructions
Hand tear the cabbage, and keep the tender green leaves only. Discard the hard white pate. Wash gently and drain completely. This is the key step to guarantee the success of the dish.
Heat the wok first, and pour in the oil. Add dried chili pepper, to fry over a slow fire until an aromatic, place in garlic and ginger too.
Add cabbage immediately. Quickly fry the cabbage, add salt, light soy sauce, and vinegar.
This process should be finished within 30 seconds.
Chinese Style Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 middle size cabbage ,hand shredded and remove the tough parts
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 inch root ginger ,minced
- 3 to 6 dried chili pepper depending how spicy you want it to be
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. black vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. salt or as needed
- 2 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
Instructions
- Hand tear the cabbage, and keep the tender green leaves only. Discard the hard white pate. Wash gently and drain completely. This is the key step to guarantee the success of the dish.
- Heat the wok first, and pour in the oil. Add dried chili pepper, to fry over a slow fire until an aromatic, place in garlic and ginger too.
- Add cabbage immediately. Quickly fry the cabbage, add salt, light soy sauce, and vinegar.
- This process should be finished within 30 seconds. You will have full of flavor, crunchy cabbage side dish.
Notes
In order to make sure that the flavor is well absorbed by the cabbage, drain the leaves completely before frying.
Recipe is firstly published in 2014 and updated in 2023.
Nutrition
Dear Elaine,
Thank you very much for teaching us how to cook Chinese food. I am an American living in China, and the food here is so much better than the Chinese restauants I grew up with in Ohio. So i want to learn as much about Chinese food cooking as i can while i live here. I use your website often, so i wanted to let you know that it is successful and very much appreciated.
Wish you health and happiness everyday!
Beth
Thanks Beth for such a warm and kind comment. Really make me very quite comfort in the hot weather. I am so glad to be helpful. Happy cooking!
Im from India and I had a very similar dish when I was visiting China. Glad to have come across your blog. Thanks! Once I manage to find the ingredients here in India, Im definitely making this!
Hi,Shivani
It’s really yes, there are many similar ingredients and dishes between China and India. Have a good time of cooking!
Thanks for your food recipes. They’re easy to follow and most important of all, it tastes as good as it looks. So happy i found your site.
Thanks for trying my recipes and send me such an encouraging comment, Swee. Happy cooking.
Good simple dish…The great thing about this recipe is that most of the ingredients you should have in your kitchen and cabbage is a vegetable that can last long in the fridge so it is a dish i can plan to have later in the week after doing all my grocery shopping…..
Hi Elaine,
I live in Toronto and have been following your site and made a lot of your recipes. They are excellent, thanks so much! A friend brought me Sczwchuan peppercorns from China and I love using them, they do give a unique and lovely flavour. Even if you bite into them in the stir fry, they are delightfully tasty!
Thanks Patricia! Yes, Sichuan peppercorn is a very unique spice with a charming numbing feeling. It goes great with meat and vegetables. Happy cooking and I look forward to continuously hear good news from you.
Why does the recipe refer to draining the cabbage? I don’t see that it’s salted.
Draining helps to enhance the flavors of the dish, not diluted by water in the cabbage.
Lovely recipe, thanks so much. I saw this served with lunch boxes at a roast meat stall and it looked great – but I didn’t get the chance to try it because I bought my meats by the pound. I’m so glad to have a good recipe so I can enjoy it.
Elaine, the reason people keep asking you about draining the cabbage is that you do not refer to washing or salting the cabbage. You only mention shredding it – which doesn’t cause moisture to form. I too am wondering, do you wash the cabbage after shredding it or just salt it?
And by the way, the cabbage in your foto looks torn, but not shredded. Shredded means it ends up in small strips, not large pieces.
Hi Kimi,
Thanks for much for such a great comment. I am sorry that I caused the misunderstanding. The cabbages are torn and washed. I will update the recipe very soon.
Thanks again for the nice recipe, Elaine. I’m just about to try it and will let you know how my family likes it!
What step would be added to include bacon in the recipe?
Lorna,
You can slightly sauté your bacon until aromatic (after adding the oil) and then continue with the following steps.
Looks great,
I must admit that Thai style stir fried cabbage steals my heart as simple, perfect side dish in this category.
It consists of 3 ingredients: cabbage, garlic, and Thai fish sauce. A super hot wok carmelizes the Fish sauce as it evaporates and steams to wilt the cabbage. It’s heavenly.
Happy eating,
Thanks Jordan,
I am drooling when reading your description. I will try that Thai style cabbage.
I lived in Chongqing for almost 8 years. Your recipies are spot on! My family and friends love your food! Thanks!
Thanks Marc. This is a great comment.
Love your recipes, I was born in a city in Mexico, we have the best chinese food because 30 percernt of the people is from China, I now live in another city and their food (chinese) is not good so I beenlearning how to cook chinese food from you, thanks
My pleasure, Maria. Happy cooking!