Stir-fried Taiwanese Cabbage
It's simple, but I can't imitate it! Stir-fried Taiwanese Sweet Cabbage and Garlic
Description
An essential veg dish in Taiwanese eateries where Taiwan's specialty flat, intensely sweet 'Gaolicai' (Cabbage) is rapid-fried on ultra-high heat for dozens of seconds with massive garlic.
Restaurants serving Stir-fried Taiwanese Cabbage
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Taiwanese cabbage(Gaolicai)
- Massive raw garlic
- Red chili
- Salt
- Lard(or Oil)
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Cabbage Prep (Crucial)] Prepare Taiwan's unique flat cabbage 'Gaolicai', which has soft, sweet leaves. Never use a knife; absolutely 'hand-tear' into bite-sized pieces (irregular edges catch flavor better).
- Heat a wok until smoking, add generous oil (lard adds richness).
- Add 'massive raw garlic' smashed with a cleaver flat and a little red chili (for color), releasing aroma instantly (do not burn).
- Dump the hand-torn cabbage in all at once.
- [High-heat Tossing] Splash a little salt and
- tbsp hot water (or chicken broth) around the wok edge to raise steam.
- Toss violently and remove from heat quickly within '~30-
- seconds' while the cabbage is vibrant green and crisp.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense raw garlic aroma
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese Spring Cabbage (soft and sweet, good sub)
Pairing
As a side menu for all Taiwanese dishes
Trivia
[For Everyone] The king of veg stir-fries ordered most alongside water spinach at Taiwanese taverns/eateries. Taiwanese Gaolicai is overwhelmingly sweeter than Japanese winter cabbage. Hand-tearing and high-heat frying is a simple magic drawing sweetness to the core.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] In Taiwanese Teppanyaki shops, it's a staple to bounce the mountain of stir-fried cabbage on your rice, letting the garlic oil soak into the rice before shoveling it down!
Allergen
None