Cabbage is versatile, cheap, 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
Maybe The New York Times just reported that cabbage is cool again among restaurant chef circles, but for us…cabbage has always been cool. (The Times does note that the classic hand-torn cabbage stir-fry has always been a staple for many folks out there.)
We love cabbage around here, whether it’s in stir-fries, braises, soups, or dumplings. It helps that Asian varieties of cabbage are far 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’s overcooked and left to languish.
While the Times reports that foodie trendsetters and trend followers have slated cabbage as this year’s standout vegetable star—they also report it lagging with home cooks. Cabbage is far from flying off the shelves.
This is in spite of cabbage-forward cult menu items leading the way in cool-factor, taste, and profit margins at New York City spots.
But home cooks that haven’t yet embraced the cabbage are missing out! We love all varieties of cabbage in our recipes—from flat Taiwanese cabbage (the best tasting and our favorite by far!), red cabbage, napa cabbage, and regular green cabbage (hello, egg rolls!).
Cabbage is super versatile. We regularly use it julienned in cold Chinese dishes, salads, and stir-fries. It plays an important role in a good plate of lo mein. It is one of the main filling ingredients for egg rolls. You’ll also see it in dumpling and wonton fillings.
When Judy does not know what to cook for a veggie, a simple stir-fried cabbage with garlic and a few broken dried red chili peppers is our go-to!
It’s an exciting blank canvas, super nutritious, and it’s time for everyone to embrace it once again!
Read more about Chinese vegetables in our ingredients glossary!
If you’re curious to read more about the various types of cabbage, head to our Chinese Ingredients Glossary and in particular, our page on Chinese Vegetables & Fungi.
How to store cabbage
Cabbage is not only delicious, it’s extremely economical no matter the season. At its baseline, it’s a far cry from more luxuriously priced vegetables like pre-washed salad greens, broccolini (those sweet tender stalks can be pricey!), or squash.
Cabbage is also a money saver because of how long it lasts in the refrigerator. If you store it so that it is cool and lightly moist e.g., in a plastic bag, a tight head of cabbage can last for up to 1-2 months before it starts to look funky.
Cabbage has always been a strong root cellar vegetable. Tight and blemish-free heads of cabbage can last 3-4 months if stored properly in a root cellar! I will say, we haven’t held onto a cabbage that long, but it can be done! If you have loose heads of cabbage, it’s best to use those sooner, as they don’t store as well.
Oftentimes, we will cut off a wedge of cabbage at a time and save the rest for other meals in the coming weeks.
Do I have to wash my cabbage?
Cabbage is one of those vegetables that can look very clean. It’s tempting to just cut it and toss it right into your wok, but it’s always a good idea to cut your cabbage and let it soak at least once in cold water to get rid of pesticides and any small bugs, dirt or dust.
If the water runs pretty clear, one soak is probably sufficient, and you can then rinse off any remaining residue before letting the cabbage drain.
Our Top 20 Favorite cabbage recipes:
Let’s start with recipes where cabbage is the star:
A Classic Chinese Cabbage Stir-Fry
This is the stuff of Chinese homestyle cooking. It was a restaurant go-to 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)
Hot and Sour flavors are always a welcome combination! The hot from a little chopped red chili and sour from Chinese black vinegar really shines in this cabbage stir-fry. If you love Deb Perelman’s salt & vinegar cabbage from Smitten Kitchen Keepers, we’re betting you will love this!
A spicy Asian Pickled Cabbage appetizer for the pickleheads
One of our favorite Sichuan restaurants in New York, Szechuan Mountain House, serves a pickled cabbage appetizer reminiscent of this simple version that is super easy to pull off at home!
Rice Cakes with Napa Cabbage
Where would we be without napa cabbage? This easy rice cake stir-fry is the perfect gateway to absolutely loving and embracing napa cabbage.
Northern Chinese Sour Cabbage Stew
This Northern Chinese Sour Cabbage Stew is in regular rotation at Sarah and Justin’s house. It’s addictive and delicious—a true one pot meal with Chinese pickled napa cabbage (sauerkraut also works great and is even more pickley!), and pork belly slices that get dipped into gloriously garlicky soy sauce. Everything gets washed down with a bite of steamed rice and a gulp of hot, slightly sour soup. Heavenly.
Egg rolls! 3 Choices: Vegetable, Classic Pork & Shrimp, and Chicken
This is a classic use of lots and lots and lots of cabbage. You can use standard green cabbage that you find at the grocery store for any of these egg roll recipes. We have something for everyone! Classic pork and shrimp, veggie only, and a chicken version that tastes as good as its porky counterpart!
Quick and Easy Cabbage and Glass Noodles
This is a great dish for our gluten-free pals and vegetarian folks out there, as it makes for a satisfying meal all on its own or with a bowl of steamed rice! We have a version without eggs and with eggs!
Braised Glass Noodles with Pork and Cabbage
A heartier sweet potato glass noodle, cabbage, and pork combine into this comforting dish!
Xi’An Stuffed Pancakes
We first tried these in the Northwestern Chinese city of Xi’An—from a street vendor. They’re deliciously crisp on the outside, and the savory cabbage and pork filling is so satisfying. They may take a little more effort to make than handing over 10 RMB (about $1.40) for one in Xi’An, but they’re well worth it.
And now, some recipes where cabbage plays a key supporting role:
Easiest Pork & Cabbage Potsticker Recipe
You don’t even have to pleat these easy potstickers, making this one of our easiest dumpling recipes to date!
Vegetable Dumplings
These vegetable dumplings are a perennial reader favorite. While there are many vegetables in the filling, cabbage gives it body, texture, and sweetness.
Chicken Wonton Soup
We salt napa cabbage to release excess water before combining it with ground chicken and seasoning to make a tasty wonton filling. Freeze a batch so you can make wonton soup anytime you like!
Duck Noodle Soup
You’ll be shocked at how quickly the combination of napa cabbage and roast duck makes a tasty noodle soup stock. A drizzle of chili oil might be all you need to complete this comforting bowl of noods.
Ultimate Asian Vegetable Stock
Sarah came up with this incredibly flavorful—all vegan—stock. One of the key flavor-makers is roasted napa cabbage. Roasting it in the oven brings out its sweetness and richness to create an umami-filled stock without any meat or bones.
Chicken Mei Fun
Cabbage is often a key ingredient in noodle stir-fries, including my mom’s Chicken Mei Fun. Use regular green cabbage, savoy cabbage, or Taiwanese cabbage here.
Yaki Udon
Another noodle dish with cabbage! Yaki udon in Japanese translates to “fried udon.” It is a dish of stir-fried udon noodles with shredded meat, julienned vegetables, soy sauce, and mirin. The first step involves frying the noodles in butter, dashi powder, and garlic to make them extra flavorful.
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 is 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 is 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 cabbage is really the main vegetable in Sarah’s chicken version!
We hope you’ve been inspired to cook more with cabbage, one of the most underrated vegetables in the produce aisle. Do you have favorite ways to cook cabbage? Let us know in the comments below!
