Secrets of cooking Chinese stew cabbage

Beijing cabbage is no longer a wonder in the Russian market. Many housewives managed to appreciate all the advantages of this vegetable and often add it to the menu.Such cabbage has much thinner and delicate leaves, in comparison with usual, white. Beijing cabbage is perfect for preparing various salads and decorating dishes. However, few people know that it can be put out. And if you have not yet tried a similar method of cooking vegetables, then we offer you some simple and tasty recipes.

To get started, try cooking cabbage without any additives in order to better appreciate the taste of such a dish. For a classic recipe, you'll need:

• 350 g fresh cabbage;
• 2 tablespoons of ketchup, adjika or tomato paste;
• 1 medium sized carrot;
• 3 teaspoons of vegetable oil;
• 1 medium onion;
• salt and other spices.

To begin with, it is necessary to carefully but carefully wash the leaves of cabbage under cool running water. Then peel the onions and carrots, finely chop all the vegetables. Next, you must put the onions and cabbage in a pre-heated pan with sunflower oil. Simmer the vegetables for 8 minutes, then add the grated carrots and stew in the pan for another 5-7 minutes. After this time, it remains only to fill the dish with tomato paste or ketchup and add a little salt.

This is the easiest and fastest way, with which you can deliciously put out Chinese cabbage. But this recipe options do not end there.

You will need:

• 200 g chicken;
• 500 g cabbage;
• 1–2 bulbs;
• 1 carrot;
• salt, spices and soy sauce to taste.

Thaw chicken fillets in advance. Peel the onions and cut them into small cubes. Pour some butter or vegetable oil into the pan, heat it up properly, then put the chopped onion in it. Reduce heat to medium heat and fry onions for a couple of minutes. Next, add to it finely chopped chicken fillet. It is important that the chicken is fried on a "pillow" of onions. Then it will turn out much more gentle and soft. Salt the meat a little and fry for a while.

While the onions and meat are cooked, wash and chop the cabbage. It is necessary to add it to the chicken only in the last minutes of cooking, so as not to expose the tender leaflets to excessive heat. Season the dish with soy sauce and seasonings that you like best. Mix everything thoroughly, turn off the heat, cover the pan with the lid and stew vegetables with meat for about 10 minutes. Delicious dish is ready!

Beans are a very nutritious product, so this product is perfect for vegetarians. Prepare the following ingredients in advance:

• 400 g Peking cabbage;
• 1 onion;
• 1 small carrot;
• 1/2 cup of beans;
• 150 grams of tomatoes;
• 2 tbsp. spoons of sour cream;
• 1 tsp paprika.

As a seasoning, you will need some sugar, salt, bay leaf, paprika, vegetable oil, and pepper.

Lubricate the pan with a small amount of oil and heat it well. Then put there peeled and chopped onions, fry it to a transparent state. Then put grated carrots in there and fry the vegetables until they are soft. Meanwhile, tomatoes (fresh or canned) need to knead, add to them salt and sugar, send to the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Next, add pre-cooked beans, sour cream, paprika and bay leaf to the vegetables. Salt to taste. Mix everything thoroughly and simmer until cooked under the lid.

Another simple, but no less delicious recipe for cooking Chinese cabbage. Take:

• 1 head of cabbage;
• 1 fresh carrot;
• 1 tbsp. spoon homemade cream;
• seasoning to taste.

Heat the pan, greased with vegetable or butter. Put on the cabbage, but fry for a short time, about half a minute. Next, pour in some boiled water. It is important that it is hot.Now salt and pepper the vegetables, you can add any spices, such as ginger and white pepper. Meanwhile, separately cook coarsely grated carrots, then add it to the cabbage with spices. Simmer vegetables in a lid on low heat for no more than 10 minutes. It is important not to digest the cabbage, otherwise the dish will not so tasty.

Cream must be added after the dish is fully cooked. Use the cream with the highest percentage of fat. Mix everything thoroughly, increase the heat to the maximum and keep the dish still half a minute, so that the cream is a little roast. After that, remove the pan from the heat, place the cabbage in a deep plate and serve hot.

It will be useful to know the following.

• If the cabbage head is too large, then you can use a solid base to extinguish, and thin leaves should be left for salad or decorating dishes.
• Best of all, the following spices combine with Chinese cabbage: turmeric, paprika, white and red peppers, and curry. And if you want to give the dish an unusual onion-garlic shade, then you can add a spice called asafoetida. It is important to do this at the end of cooking so that the taste is as bright as possible.
• The cabbage has a hard stem, but fragile and soft leaflets. Therefore, for its proper preparation, it is necessary to separate these two parts from each other and cut them into small pieces. And the cubes of the stem must be further punctured in several places so that they are better exposed to thermal effects.
• Cook the cabbage only on a very well-heated frying pan with a small amount of oil.
• If you are cooking cabbage with meat, then it must be defrosted at room temperature. So the fillet structure will remain much better.

• Do not stew cabbage for too long. Its thin and delicate leaves require quick roasting (maximum 15 minutes), otherwise the taste will not be so good.
• Since the leaves of the vegetable are rather thin, you should not add too much sauce and spices to them. Beijing cabbage is easily salted due to its delicate texture.
• Meals according to the specified recipes can be prepared not only on the stove, but also in the slow cooker. This method is even more convenient and fast.
• If you do not eat meat, you can extinguish Peking cabbage with tofu or soy products. Get a great meal.
• Braised cabbage can be used not only as a dish in its own right, but also as a filling for pies.

Learn more about how to cook Chinese cabbage stew, you will learn from the following video.