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How to Make Hand-Torn Cabbage

Hand-torn cabbage is a famous Han Chinese dish known for its color, aroma, and taste, belonging to the Hunan cuisine category.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Cabbage
  • Pork belly
  • Millet peppers
  • Cooking oil
  • Cooking wine
  • Light soy sauce
  • Fragrant vinegar
  • Chicken bouillon
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Garlic sprouts
  • Salt

Calculations

Per serving:

  • Cabbage 1 head
  • Pork belly 200 g
  • Millet peppers 2 pieces
  • Cooking oil 60 ml
  • Cooking wine 5 ml
  • Light soy sauce 5 ml
  • Fragrant vinegar 5 ml
  • Chicken bouillon 2 g
  • Ginger 2 slices
  • Garlic 2 cloves
  • Garlic sprouts 0.5 piece
  • Salt 5 g

Instructions

  • Cut the cabbage in half and remove the white core [See Figure 1]
  • Tear the cabbage by hand, add 2 g of salt to a bowl, wash the cabbage, drain it, and set aside [See Figure 2]
  • Prepare the ginger slices, garlic cloves, millet peppers, and garlic sprouts, then set aside [See Figure 3]
  • Slice the pork belly, wash with water, and set aside
  • Add 30 ml of cooking oil to the wok, pour in the cabbage and stir-fry. Stir-fry on high heat for 1 minute, then add 3 g of salt. Continue stir-frying for 2 minutes, then remove and set aside
  • Add 30 ml of cooking oil to the wok, pour in the pork belly, and stir-fry on high heat for 1 minute
  • Add the ginger and other ingredients, and stir-fry for 1 minute
  • Pour in the cabbage and stir-fry. Add fragrant vinegar, cooking wine, and chicken bouillon. Continue stir-frying on high heat for 2 minutes, then serve

Example dish result Example dish result Example dish result Example dish result

Additional Notes

  • In step 5, adjust the stir-frying time according to actual conditions. Generally, stir-fry until the cabbage is about 70% cooked. "70% cooked" means the cabbage has released moisture and its texture has softened.
  • In step 5, the purpose of adding salt is to lock in the cabbage's moisture while seasoning it slightly.
  • In the final step, adjust the stir-frying time flexibly based on actual conditions and personal taste preferences.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.