Cabbage is versatile, economical, delicious, and a true blank canvas! Today we’re reminding you of some of our favorite cabbage recipes so you too can jump on the cabbage bandwagon.
Lifelong cabbage lovers
Perhaps The New York Times I just reported that kale is beautiful again among restaurant chefs, but for us…cabbage has always been cool. (THE Times points out that the classic stir-fried cabbage has always been a staple for many people out there.)
We love cabbage around here, whether it’s fried, braised, soups, or dumplings. It helps that Asian varieties of cabbage are much sweeter and more enjoyable than a standard green or savoy cabbage.
The latter can sometimes take on that cruciferous, slightly earthy, in short smelly flavor, especially if it is overcooked and left to languish.
While the Times reports that trendsetters and food trend followers have named cabbage as this year’s star vegetable, they also report that it is lagging behind home cooks. Kale is far from flying off the shelves.
This is despite cult kale-based menu items leading the way in terms of cool factor, taste and profit margins in New York City establishments.
But home cooks who haven’t yet embraced kale are missing out! We love all varieties of cabbage in our recipes: from Taiwanese flat cabbage (the best flavor and our absolute favorite!), red cabbage, napa cabbage, and regular green cabbage (hello, egg rolls!).
Kale is super versatile. We regularly use it julienned in cold Chinese dishes, salads and stir-fries. It plays an important role in a good lo mein dish. It is one of the main ingredients of the egg roll filling. You’ll also see it in dumpling and wonton fillings.
When Judy doesn’t know what to cook for a vegetarian, our go-to is a simple stir-fried cabbage with garlic and some cracked dried red chili peppers!
It’s an exciting, super nourishing blank canvas, and it’s time everyone embraced it once again!
How to store cabbage
Cabbage is not only delicious, it is extremely economical regardless of the season. At its core, it’s very different from more luxuriously priced veggies like pre-washed salad greens, broccolini (those sweet, tender stems can be pricey!) or squash.
Cabbage also saves money because it lasts a long time in the refrigerator. If you store it so it’s cool and slightly moist, such as in a plastic bag, a tight head of cabbage can last up to 1-2 months before it starts to look weird.
Cabbage has always been a strong root vegetable. Firm, blemish-free heads of cabbage can last 3-4 months if stored properly in a root cellar! I will say we haven’t held a damn thing back that long, but it can be done! If you have loose heads of cabbage, it’s best to use them first, as they don’t store well.
We often cut one slice of cabbage at a time and save the rest for other meals in the coming weeks.
Do I have to wash the cabbage?
Cabbage is one of those vegetables that can look very neat. It’s tempting to chop it up and throw it straight into the wok, but it’s always a good idea to chop up the cabbage and soak it at least once in cold water to get rid of pesticides and small bugs, dirt or dust.
If the water is clear enough, a soak is probably enough and then you can rinse off any remaining residue before draining the cabbage.
Our top 20 favorite cabbage recipes:
Let’s start with the recipes in which cabbage is the protagonist:
A classic Chinese cabbage stir-fry
This is the characteristic of Chinese home cooking. It was a restaurant to frequent during our years living in Beijing. If you want to make it vegetarian, simply omit the pork. It will still be delicious!
“Hot and Sour” Sichuan Cabbage Stir-Fry (Suan la Bai Cai)
Spicy and sour flavors are always a welcome combination! The spiciness of some crushed red chili pepper and the tartness of Chinese black vinegar really shine in this cabbage stir-fry. If you love salt and vinegar cabbage by Deb Perelman from Cuisine in love Keeperswe bet you will love it!
A spicy Asian pickled cabbage appetizer for pickles
One of our favorite Sichuan restaurants in New York, Szechuan mountain houseserves a pickled cabbage appetizer reminiscent of this simple version that is super easy to make at home!
Rice cakes with Napa cabbage
Where would we be without napa cabbage? This easy stir-fried rice cake is the perfect gateway to absolutely loving and embracing napa cabbage.
Northern Chinese Sour Cabbage Stew
This Northern Chinese Sour Cabbage Stew is on regular rotation at Sarah and Justin’s house. It’s addictive and delicious: a real one-dish meal with Chinese pickled napa cabbage (sauerkraut also works great and is even Moreover pickled!) and slices of pork belly that are dipped in a wonderfully garlicky soy sauce. It’s all washed down with a bite of steamed rice and a sip of hot, slightly sour soup. Heavenly.
Rolls! 3 choices: classic veggies, pork and shrimp, and chicken
This is a classic use of lots and lots and lots of cabbage. You can use standard green cabbage found at the grocery store for any of these egg roll recipes. We have something for everyone! Classic pork and shrimp, vegetarian only and a chicken version that tastes just like its pork counterpart!
Quick and easy cabbage and glass noodles
This is a great dish for our gluten-free friends and vegetarians, as it makes a satisfying meal on its own or with a bowl of steamed rice! We have an egg-free and egg-free version!
Without eggs:
With eggs:
Braised glass noodles with pork and cabbage
Hearty glass noodles with sweet potatoes, cabbage and pork combine in this comforting dish!
Xi’An Stuffed Pancakes
We first tried them in the northwestern Chinese city of Xi’An, from a street vendor. They’re deliciously crispy on the outside and the tasty cabbage and pork filling is so satisfying. It may take a little more effort than paying 10 RMB (about $1.40) to buy one in Xi’An, but it’s worth it.
And now, some recipes in which cabbage plays a fundamental role:
The simplest recipe for potstickers with pork and cabbage
You don’t even have to fold these simple potstickers, making this one of our easiest ravioli recipes to date!
Vegetable Gnocchi
These vegetable dumplings are a perennial reader favorite. Even though there are a lot of vegetables in the filling, the cabbage gives it body, texture and sweetness.
Chicken and wonton soup
We salt the napa cabbage to release excess water before combining it with the ground chicken and seasoning to make a tasty wonton filling. Freeze a portion so you can make wonton soup whenever you want!
Duck noodle soup
You’ll be shocked at how quickly the combination of napa cabbage and roasted duck creates a tasty noodle soup broth. A drizzle of chili oil might be all you need to top off this comforting bowl of nood.
Asian vegetable broth par excellence
Sarah invented this incredibly tasty broth, all vegan. One of the main flavor ingredients is roasted napa cabbage. Roasting it in the oven brings out its sweetness and richness to create an umami-filled broth without the meat or bones.
Fun with chicken Mei
Cabbage is often a key ingredient in stir-fries, including my mother’s Chicken Mei Fun. Use regular green cabbage, kale or Taiwanese cabbage here.
Yaki Udon
Another cabbage noodle dish! Yaki udon in Japanese means “fried udon”. It is a dish of stir-fried udon with minced meat, julienned vegetables, soy sauce and mirin. The first step involves frying the noodles in butter, dashi powder and garlic to make them even tastier.
Homemade spring rolls
Like egg rolls, spring rolls often have cabbage in the filling to give them sweetness and body. As you can see below, there’s very little meat – it’s mostly cabbage and a host of other supporting veggies.
Chinese Rice Cake Soup
Napa cabbage gives this soup sweetness and texture. It’s delicious, warm and comforting.
Chicken Lo Mein
And finally, this list wouldn’t be complete without a lo mein recipe! Most of our lo mein recipes include cabbage, but that’s really what cabbage is principal vegetables in Sarah’s chicken version!
We hope you’ve been inspired to cook more with kale, one of the most underrated vegetables in the produce aisle. Do you have any favorite ways to cook kale? Let us know in the comments below!
