Chao Gao Li Cai
炒高麗菜·(chǎo gāo lì cài)
便當 (Biàndang) - The Taiwanese Bento Box for School and Office
Every Taiwanese bento box worth its weight has a compartment of Chao Gao Li Cai, the garlicky foil to braised pork and fried cutlets. Try making this with standard American supermarket cabbage and a chef's knife, though, and you usually end up with a watery mess; you need a flat-headed Taiwanese cabbage, and you need to ditch the blade and tear the leaves by hand so the jagged edges drink up the smashed garlic and dried shrimp oil. Give the thick stems a head start in a smoking pan, let the leaves blister against the carbon-steel wok with a splash of Michiu rice wine, and hold the salt until the final seconds so the leaves don't weep—giving you that crisp-tender snap ready for a stainless-steel biàndang box.
Before you start
Tear the cabbage by hand into 2-inch pieces, sorting the thick white stems into one pile and the tender leaves into another.
Leave the knife in the block. A blade seals off the vegetable's edges cleanly, whereas tearing creates rough, jagged cell walls that trap the savory shrimp-and-garlic oil.
Ingredients
- Taiwanese flat cabbage1 lb
- small dried shrimp1 tbsp
- garlic3 large cloves
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- Michiu1 tbsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- ground white pepper1/8 tsp
Method
- 01
Heat a dry carbon steel wok or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until faint wisps of smoke appear.
Getting the bare metal searing hot before adding room-temperature oil builds the thermal momentum needed to blister the cabbage on a standard home burner without burning your aromatics.
- 02
Swirl in the oil, immediately toss in the dried shrimp and garlic, and stir-fry for 15 seconds until blonde and fragrant.
- 03
Toss the pile of thick cabbage stems into the pan first and stir-fry for 45 seconds.
Giving the dense ribs a head start ensures they turn sweet and tender at the exact moment the delicate leaves finish cooking.
- 04
Crank the heat to high, dump in the leafy greens, and toss continuously for 2 minutes until vibrant green and slightly wilted.
Push the cabbage up the sides of the pan and pull it back to the center. If the pan looks scorched or bone-dry, drizzle 1 tablespoon of water down the searing hot outer rim of the pan so it flashes into steam instead of boiling the leaves.
- 05
Splash the Michiu around the hot perimeter of the pan and toss vigorously for 10 seconds.
- 06
Sprinkle in the salt and white pepper, give everything one final toss, and plate immediately.
Salt draws moisture out of vegetables on contact. Waiting until the final seconds keeps the water locked inside the leaves where it belongs, guaranteeing a crisp bite and a dry pan.
Notes
Adapting for standard supermarket green cabbage.
Taiwanese flat cabbage has thin, loosely packed, naturally sweet leaves. If you only have access to dense, spherical American green cabbage, discard the thickest bottom ribs, tear the leaves slightly smaller, and add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar alongside the salt at the very end to mimic that signature mountain-grown sweetness.
Reviving limp fridge cabbage.
If your cabbage has been sitting in the crisper drawer for a week and feels tired, submerge the hand-torn pieces in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to restore their cellular crunch. Just make sure to spin them bone-dry in a salad spinner before approaching the stove, or excess water will kill your pan heat and steam the greens into mush.