- Chinese restaurant napa cabbage recipe. This’s a great vegetarian dish and full of garlic and ginger flavors.
- 15-minute meal. Napa cabbage stir fry is quick, simple to make, and ready in 15 minutes.
- Health benefits. Napa cabbage nutrition offers an excellent natural source of minerals, vitamins & high fiber.
What is Napa Cabbage?
- It’s also called Chinese cabbage, dàbáicài (大白菜), is often associated with stir-fries, steamed and kimchi, a Korean fermented pickle dish.
- Napa originated in China and is widely used in East Asian cuisine.
- Botanically, it’s in the brassica family along with broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, and regular head cabbage.
What Does This Chinese Restaurant-Style Stir Fry Recipe Taste Like?
This recipe is savory, tastes both sweet with a little salty, and full of garlic and ginger flavors you love from your favorite Chinese restaurant.
What are the Ingredients?
- Napa: You’ll need about a pound of napa, sliced 45-degree angle pieces for this stir fry recipe.
- Carrot: Slice your carrots thinly (about 1/8-inch) so they will be crisp-tender and not crunchy in the allotted cooking time.
- Shiitake mushrooms: I recommend shiitake, cremini/baby Bella mushrooms because they have more flavor.
- Take care not to slice your mushrooms too thin or they will lose their texture.
How to Make Stir Fry Sauce?
What Is Napa Cabbage Recipe Instructions?
What Are The Tips?
- Cut the napa the right way- Tilt your knife to a 45-degree angle and slice the cabbage into irregular bite-sized chunks with thin edges.
- This cutting method makes the white part absorb more sauce and become more flavorful.
- Stir fry the white part of cabbage at first- Stir fry the white part of cabbage at first for 2~3 minutes, after that add 1/2 cup of water and the rest of the leaves.
- So the white part and the leaves will be softened equally.
- The water will help the cabbage to be crisp-tender faster.
What Are Napa Cabbage Nutrition and Benefits?
- Napa is classified as a zero-calorie food by dietitians.
- Napa cabbage nutrition: high in fiber and loaded with vitamin C and K.
- An excellent natural source of minerals like calcium, iron, folate, and antioxidants.
What Is The Difference Between Napa Cabbage, Green Cabbage, and Bok Choy?
- Green cabbage– is a tightly wrapped and ball-shaped cabbage.
- The leaves are thicker and almost rubbery.
- When raw, has a slight pepper-like flavor, it gets sweeter when cooked.
- Napa(Chinese) cabbage– has longer, paler green leaves.
- The leaves are sweet, crunchy with an almost celery-like flavor.
- It also gets sweeter when cooked.
- Bok choy– is one of two main types of leafy green vegetables.
- The green part of the bok choy has a slightly bitter mineral flavor. The white stalk is full of water and has a crunchy yet juicy texture.
- The entire vegetable is edible and can be enjoyed either raw or cooked.
How To Cook With Napa Cabbage?
- Napa can be steamed, boiled, quickly stir-fried, or eaten raw.
- It’s often featured in Chinese noodle dishes, spring rolls, and dumplings, as well as stir-fries.
- It can be served raw, like in a salad or slaw. Simply chop them into very thin strips and add in scallions, chili, julienned carrots, or other vegetables. …
- Make sure you eat this napa cabbage salad soon after serving otherwise the seasonings will make the Chinese cabbage soggy.
Do You Eat The White Part?
Its white stalks and crinkly, pale green or yellow leaves may be eaten raw or cooked. It gets sweeter when cooked.
How to Choose Napa Cabbage?
- Select Chinese cabbage that is compact, firm, crisp, and fresh. There should be no brown spots on the ribs.
- Avoid greens whose leaves are slightly wilted or exhibit brown spots.
How to Store and How Long Does It Last?
- Stored unwashed napa cabbage whole in the refrigerator, Napa is fresh up to a week.
- Wrapping in plastic wrap can help prevent wilting.
More Chinese Vegetable Recipes:
BOK CHOY STIR FRY
LO MEIN
SCALLION PANCAKE
BUBBLE TEA
Napa Cabbage stir fry is a great vegetarian dish and full of garlic and ginger flavors. This dish offers excellent nature source of minerals, vitamins & high in fiber.
Ingredients
Stir Fry:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1/2 cup carrots (about 1/8-inch), sliced
- 1/4 large napa cabbage (about 1 pound), sliced 45-degree angle pieces
- 1/2 cup water
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water, (60 ml)
Seasoning:
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics- In a large wok or skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Add the ginger and garlic do a few quick stirs until the garlic is light brown, about 30 seconds.
- Cook the mushrooms- Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, until you smell the fragrance.
- Add the carrots- Add the carrots to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, or until carrots start to turn soft.
- Add white part of cabbage- Add chinese cabbage white part first and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add water and rest of leaves- stir fry them all together for 3 minutes.
- Add the sauce- Pour in the soy sauce, oyster sauce & cornstarch and and cook until the cabbage is softened, about another minute. Stir everything in the pan to coat all the ingredients.
- Add seasoning- add the sesame oil and ready to serve.
Tips & Notes:
Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 6.5g, Cholesterol: 0g, Sodium: 525mg, Potassium: 321mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 1.6g, Vitamin A: 390IU, Vitamin C: 62mg, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 1.3mg
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 264kcal (13%)
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I love hearing how it turned out! Leave me a comment and make sure to leave a rating below.
Leave a Reply