Hand-Torn Cabbage

 Shousi Baocai (手撕包菜)

Stir-fried cabbage with an explosion of Sichuan flavors - tangy, aromatic vinegar and soy sauce perfectly compliment the subtle spiciness of dried red chilies and sizzling Sichuan pepper.

This stir-fried cabbage recipe is one of my favorite side dishes. It's simple but packed with flavor and only takes a few minutes to prepare and cook. Also, the ingredients are pretty common, extremely cheap, and easy to obtain. The flavor, nevertheless, is amazing! A little tangy, a little salty, a little spicy, a little garlicky - all of this is paired with cabbage that's softened from stir-frying but still a bit crisp.

Like its name implies, Shousi Baocai is made by tearing the cabbage leaves by hand. It's much faster than using a knife and requires no skill, so it's a fun activity for the whole family. However, you will still need a knife to slice the ginger and garlic, but this is pretty easy to do. For a fast way to peel the garlic, smash it with the side of a cleaver. And, as a quick method for peeling ginger, use the edge of a spoon to scrape the peel away. Use kitchen shears to quickly and easily snip the dried red chilies into tiny, half inch pieces. Finally, prepare your Seasonings in two bowls: one for dry seasonings like salt and sugar and the other for sauces like soy sauce and vinegar. By doing all of this, you can quickly add the appropriate ingredients at the correct time during the cooking process.

The number of garlic cloves used in this dish is a matter of preference. I prefer to use about 2 cloves of garlic when I make this dish, but this dish can be quite garlicky if you really enjoy that flavor. Likewise, slightly more vinegar can be added for an extra sour kick. I try to balance the flavors so that they fuse together in harmony without one flavor overpowering the others, but this is simply preference, as this dish can be quite spicy, quite salty, quite garlicky, or quite tangy depending on your favorite flavors.

Prep Time: 8 min

Cook Time: 2 min

Total Time: 10 min

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

1/2 head of Cabbage
2 - 4 cloves of Garlic
1-inch block of Ginger
1 tsp. Sichuan Peppercorns (About 1.5 to 2 grams)
1/4 cup of 1-inch-pieces of Dried Red Chilies Pieces (About 3 – 5 grams)

Peanut Oil

Seasonings
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. MSG
1/2 tsp. White Sugar
2 tsp. Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Chinkiang Black Vinegar

Directions

1.) Wash off the Cabbage, cut it in half, and remove the inner core of each half by cutting twice at an angle into the Cabbage. Pull apart the leaves until all the leaves are separated. Rip off the softer leafy parts of the Cabbage leaving behind the tougher stem so that the leafy part of the Cabbage is torn into roughly 2-inch by 2-inch square pieces. Set aside the leafy parts in a large bowl. The tougher stems can be added to a Sichuan paocai jar to make Pickled Cabbage.

2.) Peel the Garlic and Ginger, slice them thinly, and place them in a small bowl along with the Sichuan Pepper and Dried Red Chilies.

3.) Heat about one cup of Peanut Oil on high heat in a seasoned wok. Once the oil is very hot, remove the wok from heat and add the Garlic, Ginger, Sichuan Pepper, and Dried Red Chilies. Then, immediately add the Cabbage.

4.) Stir-fry the Cabbage for about 30 - 45 seconds to coat all the torn leaves in oil.

5.) Pull the wok away from the heat while adding the Seasonings: Salt, MSG, Sugar, Soy Sauce, and Vinegar.

6.) Return the wok to heat and cook about 30 seconds or just until all the ingredients have been fully incorporated. (Don't overcook the Cabbage). Then, plate the Cabbage and serve.

 

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