This quick sautéed cabbage with the tasty flavours of sesame, garlic, ginger and red chili pepper couldn't be easier. Ready in about 5 minutes and the perfect complement to grilled meat, tofu, or some super saucy, sweet & spicy hoisin meatballs.
I wasn't going to post this recipe at first because it's just so damn simple...but then I thought...why not?
It is really simple but maybe this will open the door to more explorations in cabbage. Maybe this will inspire you to do more with cabbage. If you know the blog you'll know I'm a big fan of cabbage as you can also see in my recipes for Romanian Slow Roasted Caramelized Cabbage and Cabbage Roll Soup with Rice Meatballs.
Cabbage is woefully underrated. It's so versatile and can be jazzed up in so many ways.
Feeling Italian? Try some pesto roasted cabbage steaks topped with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. More of a Middle Eastern vibe? Roast some cabbage wedges with tahini, sesame seeds and sumac - serve with some grilled meat or a dollop of hummus and some fresh tomatoes. Excellent choices all around.
Cabbage is light, tasty, hearty but still low-carb, and adapts to different flavours so well. Cabbage...who knew. Go cabbage!
Ingredients
This recipes comes together really quick and easy with just a few ingredients. It doesn't have to be super precise and you basically just toss it all onto the cut up cabbage and rub it in with your hands.
Cabbage: I've used plain white cabbage here but purple, Napa or savoy cabbage would also work.
Garlic: fresh garlic, finely diced, pressed in a garlic press or mashed in a mortar and pestle.
Soy sauce: soy sauce of your choice.
Red chili pepper: a small red chili pepper cut into thin rings with the seeds removed. You can add more or less according to your heat preferences.
Sesame oil: sesame oil for flavour.
Vegetable oil: for frying up the cabbage.
Sesame seeds: black and white sesame seeds (if you have both colors) make a beautiful garnish.
Pro tip: Don't forget to wash your hands after handling the hot chili pepper and for the love of all that's good in this world, don't touch your eyes.
Quick Sauteed Cabbage Cooking Instructions
Cut the cabbage and give it a rub: Cut up the cabbage and toss it along with all the other ingredients into a large bowl. Get your hands in there and massage the cabbage, squeezing it in your hands to get the flavours really rubbed in. This also helps to tenderize the cabbage so it's softer.
Heat oil on high and cook it fast: In the meantime heat the vegetable oil on high in a wok or just a skillet. When the oil is hot, throw in the cabbage. Sautee for about 5 minutes, mixing constantly so it cooks evenly.
Recipe
Sesame Sautéed Cabbage with Garlic, Ginger & Chili
Ingredients
- 0.5 head of cabbage sliced into roughly 2cm / 1 inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced, pressed or mashed
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds mixed colors if available
Instructions
- Cut the cabbage by cutting the head in half, and then each half into a quarter. Slice each quarter lengthwise 2-3 times, and then along the short edge another 2-3 times.
- Toss the cabbage in a bowl with all the other ingredients and rub everything together with your hands for a minute or so until you feel the fibers in the cabbage relax and soften. Then the cabbage is ready to fry.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over high heat.
- Once the oil is hot (slightly rippling but not so hot that it's popping) toss the cabbage in being careful of any splashback. Stir the cabbage frequently, sautéing for about 5 minutes or until fully softened and starting to turn a bit translucent.
- Serve hot or cold, garnished with more sesame seeds if you like.
A.B.
I love simple recipes and this one is very nice. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Cristina
Ah thank you so much I'm glad you enjoyed it ☺️
Becky
This was delicious and so easy.
Cristina
Great! Thanks for the feedback Becky glad you enjoyed it