Food & Receipts

“The Ultimate Guide to Crispy Stir-fried Cabbage: Avoiding the Common Pitfalls”

Cabbage is not only a familiar winter vegetable but also a nutrient-packed superfood. With an impressive vitamin C content, it boasts powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Discover the secrets to creating a crisp and perfectly cooked cabbage stir-fry with no watery residue. Our experienced chefs will guide you through a simple recipe with detailed instructions, ensuring a delicious and healthy family meal.

Administrator

5 December, 2024

Cabbage is a versatile vegetable that can be prepared in a variety of ways, including boiling, stir-frying, making soup, or pickling. On cold days, stir-fried cabbage is a popular dish. However, many people encounter issues when stir-frying cabbage, resulting in soggy, limp leaves and excessive water release.

According to experienced chefs, the problem of soggy cabbage and water release is due to a few critical mistakes in the cooking process. The following is a detailed guide to help you stir-fry cabbage to perfection, ensuring it remains crisp and dry.

Ingredients:

– 1 small cabbage (preferably fresh and recently harvested)

– 1 bulb of shallot, 2 stalks of spring onion

– Lard or chicken fat/cooking oil

– Salt or seasoning powder

Instructions for stir-frying crisp and dry cabbage:

Prepare the cabbage: Remove any old outer leaves, cut the cabbage in half, and chop it into small pieces.

After chopping, thoroughly rinse the cabbage several times and drain the water.

Heat the wok: Place the wok on the stove, heat it up, and then add lard or chicken fat. Animal fat adds a delightful aroma to the cabbage and reduces water release. If you don’t have animal fat, you can use cooking oil.

Sauté the aromatics and stir-fry the cabbage: Once the fat is hot, add the crushed shallot and sauté until fragrant. Immediately add the cabbage to the wok. It’s important to use high heat when stir-frying to ensure quick contact with heat, preserving the vibrant green color and crispness of the cabbage. Many people make the mistake of stir-frying cabbage over low heat, which leads to water release.

Season timely: Only when the cabbage is about 90% cooked, add salt or seasoning powder. Adding seasoning too early will cause the cabbage to release more water. Since the cabbage is chopped into thin pieces, it absorbs seasoning quickly, so adding salt towards the end is sufficient.

Add spring onion and finish: After adding salt, give it a quick stir, then add the chopped spring onion. Stir briefly and turn off the heat.

Using this stir-frying method will ensure that your cabbage remains crisp and colorful, and it will minimize water release.