Description
In Japan, cabbage is just stir-fried with salt and pork. In Northern China, it's flash-fried on max heat with dried chilies and Sichuan pepper, then aggressively glazed with a sweet and sour black vinegar sauce (Cu Liu), elevating it to a crispy masterpiece.
Restaurants serving Cu Liu Bai Cai (Vinegar Glazed Cabbage)
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
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
- Napa cabbage
- Dried red chilies
- Sichuan peppercorn
- Black vinegar(Zhenjiang)
- Sugar
- Soy sauce
- Garlic
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Differences]
- (Cutting) Separate cabbage leaves and cores. Slice the cores 'diagonally on a bias'. This maximizes surface area, allowing the sauce to cling explosively.
- In a bowl, mix black vinegar (Zhenjiang), soy, sugar, salt, and starch slurry in a 'golden ratio slightly favoring sourness'.
- Heat oil, slow-fry Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies until almost black to extract 'roasted heat (Hu La)'.
- Add scallion/garlic. Dump in the cabbage 'cores' first, tossing violently on absolute max heat.
- When cores turn slightly translucent, add 'leaves'. Before they wilt, drizzle the sweet/sour sauce down the wok's side.
- Once thickened and the vinegar's harshness burns off leaving a glossy, aromatic glaze (mere seconds), plate IMMEDIATELY before it bleeds water.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense depth/sourness of black vinegar、Charred chili
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese black vinegar and sugar (can substitute)
Pairing
White Rice (dump sauce on top) / Braised Pork Belly
Trivia
[Trivia] 'Cu Liu' is a Northern cooking technique of rapidly glazing ingredients in a sweet-sour black vinegar sauce. It represents the essence of Chinese cooking: turning watery cabbage into a rich, crispy masterpiece.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Contains absolutely ZERO meat, yet thanks to the depth of the black vinegar and roasted oil, it stands proudly as a 'vegetable feast' that makes endless bowls of rice disappear.
Allergen
Soybeans, Wheat (Soy sauce)