Spicy Garlic Napa Cabbage

Spicy Garlic Cabbage

If there is one vegetable side dish I love it's cabbage, there are just so many things you can do with it, and it goes so well with various main dishes.

Great as a separate side or combined into things like stir fries etc to bulk out with veggies.

This spicy garlic Napa cabbage is the perfect side dish for main Asian inspired dishes, for example my recent Korean Ground Pork - yum!!!

What is Napa cabbage?

Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese Cabbage that has an oval shape, with pale green ruffled leaves and a firmer crunchy white stem. It can be eaten raw or cooked. My favourite way to eat it, is usually roughly chopped up and added to stir fry dishes.

The most popular use. for Napa cabbage is in Korean Kimchi - which is a staple food in Korean cuisine. It is a side dish of fermented vegetables - Napa cabbage and Korean radish, with a flavoursome blend of seasonings including a spicy kick from Gochugaru (a coarsely ground Korean chili powder.

Can I use any green cabbage?

If you would like to try this recipe, but can't find Napa Cabbage or Chinese Cabbage, then you can substitute for any light green cabbage.

Bean sprouts are a great addition too as they add a lovely crunchy texture to the dish.

Can I use any sweetener?

I use a little bit of maple syrup in this recipe, it balances the heat and gives a nice coating to the cabbage with the soy sauce and sesame oil etc.

If you don't have any maple syrup in the house you can use honey or a little bit of sugar too.

Sweetener is fine to use too if you want to use that, but it doesn't caramelize the same so you won't get quite that same glossy sauce that coats the cabbage.

Sesame oil in Recipes

Sesame oil is used in Asian style recipe for flavour and seasoning. A small amount adds such a delicious nutty earthy taste to recipes.

It's not really used as an oil to cook with. Generally it's added at the end of the recipe.

So for that reason I don't recommend omitting to try and save the calories as you are removing all that flavour. It's only a teaspoon which is 40 calories.

Main Courses for Garlic Napa

This recipe will work as a side dish for most Asian recipes. But if you are looking for inspiration for what to serve it with I definitely recommend the Korean Ground Pork or Beef Bulgogi

I love to create bowls with these recipes, add some rice and some thin carrot batons, some pickled daikon radish (available at Korean markets or Asian markets) and some Nori Seaweed. Yum

Just like this yummy bowl below with the Korean Ground Pork