Hot and Sour Cabbage (Printer View)

Crisp cabbage tossed in a bold tangy-spicy sauce with ginger and garlic. Ready in 20 minutes for a vibrant side dish.

# What you'll need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium head green cabbage (about 1.75 lbs), cored and thinly sliced
02 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
03 - 3 scallions, sliced diagonally
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

→ Sauce

06 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
07 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
08 - 1 tablespoon chili paste or chili garlic sauce
09 - 1 teaspoon sugar
10 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

→ Seasonings and Oil

11 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

→ Garnish

14 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
15 - Additional sliced scallions

# Method:

01 - In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili paste, sugar, and sesame oil until combined. Set aside.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
03 - Add minced garlic and ginger, stir-frying for 30 seconds until fragrant.
04 - Add sliced cabbage and julienned carrot. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until vegetables begin to wilt but remain crisp.
05 - Pour prepared sauce into the wok and toss to coat evenly. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until cabbage reaches tender-crisp texture.
06 - Add black pepper, salt, and sliced scallions. Stir well and cook for 1 minute.
07 - Transfer to serving dish and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and additional scallions if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The entire dish comes together in under 20 minutes, leaving you actual time to enjoy your meal instead of standing over a hot stove.
  • That first bite delivers a triple punch of heat, tang, and crunch that wakes up your taste buds and makes everything else on the plate taste better.
  • It works as a side dish, a light lunch, or even tucked into grain bowls and wraps, making it practically infinite in its uses.
02 -
  • Don't walk away from the stove during the cooking—this dish moves fast and the difference between perfectly tender-crisp and sad mush is literally one distracted minute.
  • Tasting your sauce before it hits the vegetables lets you adjust the heat and tang to your preference, which is something I wish I'd learned before serving a batch that was aggressive enough to clear sinuses across a dinner table.
03 -
  • Slice your cabbage as thinly as you can manage because thickness directly correlates to cooking time, and thin cabbage means more of that glossy, sauce-coated texture.
  • Keep your pan moving and your heat high—hesitation and low heat turn this into a braised sad situation instead of a vibrant stir-fry, which I discovered the hard way.
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