Recipe 14: Hot and Sour Cabbage

Recipe 14:
Hot and Sour Cabbage


This recipe is in a similar style of cooking as the last, involving stir-frying on a hot wok.
1.5 lb white cabbage
10 Sichuan (also Szechwan) peppercorns (have more of a lemony overtone than traditional black peppercorns)
5 small dried red chili peppers
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp vinegar
1.5 tbsp salt
1.5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sesame seed oil

Choose a round, pale green cabbage with a firm heart (not loose leaf cabbage). Wash in cold water and cut the leaves into small pieces about 1x1 inches . Cut the chile into small bits.
Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt to make the sauce.
Heat the oil in a preheated wok until it starts to smoke. Add the peppercorns and chiles. Shortly after (a couple seconds), add the cabbage. Stir for about 1.5 minutes until it STARTS to go limp. Pour in the prepared sauce and continue stirring for a short while to allow the sauce to blend in. add the sesame seed oil (drizzle) just before serving. This dish works well hot or cold.


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