# Restaurant-Style Chinese Cabbage Stir-Fry

Learn the secret restaurant technique to cook Chinese cabbage that’s crispy, flavorful, and perfectly non-watery using essential ingredients like garlic, chili, and a delicious sauce.

- Cuisine: Chinese
- Category: Soup
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 Chinese cabbage
- 1 spoonful baking soda
- 1 spoonful salt
- few garlic cloves, sliced
- some dried chilies, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chicken essence
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 spoonful starch
- 1 spoonful light soy sauce
- 1 spoonful balsamic vinegar
- little oil

## Instructions

1. First, prepare a Chinese cabbage by removing it from the soil, cutting off the root, and separating the leaves.
2. Fill a basin with water, add a spoonful of baking soda and a spoonful of salt, and stir until dissolved.
3. Place the cabbage leaves in this saltwater solution to wash them thoroughly.
4. Rinse the cabbage under running water, drain, and allow it to dry in a basket.
5. Place the cabbage on a chopping board and separate the leaves from the stalks.
6. Cut the stalks into small pieces.
7. Place the chopped stalks in a large bowl, add a spoonful of salt, and stir with chopsticks; let it sit for 5 minutes to remove excess water.
8. Set aside the cabbage leaves.
9. Prepare a few cloves of garlic by slicing them and place them on a plate.
10. Chop some dried chilies and set them aside (skip if you don't like spicy food).
11. To make the sauce, mix a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of chicken essence, a teaspoon of sugar, a spoonful of starch, a spoonful of light soy sauce, and a spoonful of balsamic vinegar, then stir everything well and set it aside.
12. Check the cabbage stalks for excess water, wash them to remove extra salt, and then squeeze out the remaining water.
13. Heat a little oil in a wok.
14. When the oil is hot, add the garlic slices and dried chilies, stir-frying until fragrant.
15. Add the cabbage stalks and stir-fry for about half a minute.
16. Next, add the cabbage leaves and stir-fry until they soften and cook through.
17. Once the cabbage leaves are tender, pour in the sauce, turn up the heat, and stir-fry quickly to help the cabbage absorb the flavors.

## Equipment

- basin
- basket
- chopping board
- large bowl
- chopsticks
- wok

## Tips

- The salt acts as a sterilizing agent and the alkaline baking soda helps remove impurities effectively.
- Separate the cabbage leaves from the stalks because stalks are thicker while the leaves are tender; if you fry them together, the stalks won't cook evenly and the leaves will turn mushy.
- Cut the stalks into small pieces to break down their fibers, making them tastier and easier to eat.
- Add a spoonful of salt to the cabbage stalks and stir with chopsticks, then let it sit for 5 minutes to remove excess water.
- Do not add salt while stir-frying the cabbage as it will make it watery and reduce its flavor.
- Preparing the sauce in advance shortens the cabbage's cooking time, preventing excess water from releasing.

## Source

- Original video: https://youtu.be/rFraEf5k9UM?si=tbQW0_NJe2VyHrcO
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/27c3b373-fa83-4287-a7cf-1efd4064160d
- Extracted: 2026-03-08

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt