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Hand-torn cabbage
Shou si bao cai: Hunan hand-torn cabbage flash-fried with garlic, dried chilli and black vinegar
Shou si bao cai is a Hunan restaurant classic that every Changsha family also cooks at home: cabbage leaves torn by hand, then flash-fried in a roaring wok with garlic and dried chillies and splashed with black vinegar until smoky, sweet and still crunchy. It goes alongside rice and a meat or tofu dish at dinner. The mistake is putting wet leaves into a lukewarm pan: the cabbage stews and goes limp instead of charring at the edges. Chef's tip: tear rather than cut, because the ragged edges catch the heat and the sauce better than clean knife cuts.
- Total time
- 11 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb pointed or flat cabbageleaves torn into 4–5 cm pieces, thick ribs discarded, dried well
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlicsliced
- 6 dried red chilliessnipped in half, seeds shaken out
- ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat a wok over a high heat until it smokes, then add 2 tbsp vegetable oil and swirl.
1 minStep 2: Add 6 dried red chillies, ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns and 4 cloves garlic and stir for 15–20 seconds, until fragrant and the chillies darken; don't let them blacken.
1 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅛ lb pointed or flat cabbage and toss constantly, letting it sit for a few seconds between tosses, until the leaves are glossy and wilting with charred spots but the ribs still crunch.
3 minStep 4: Pour 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar around the hot sides of the wok so it sizzles, then add 1 tbsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar and ¼ tsp salt and toss for 30 seconds more.
1 minStep 5: Serve at once, before the cabbage releases its water.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hand-torn cabbage take?
- About 11 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 6 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of pointed or flat cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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