Napa Cabbage with Glass Noodles
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 27 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Country of Origin
China (Nationwide / Cantonese style)
Description
A comforting, delicate side dish where sweet, tender leaves of steamed Napa cabbage form a bed for transparent, bouncy glass noodles. The entire dish is drenched in an aromatic, golden garlic sauce that pools beautifully at the bottom, waiting to be soaked up by the noodles.
Presentation & How It's Eaten
Served hot in a shallow rimmed dish. The pale green cabbage leaves curl around clusters of glistening glass noodles, completely blanketed in a fine mosaic of minced fried garlic. It is eaten warm with chopsticks or a spoon.
Ingredients
1 small head Napa cabbage (approx. 500g, cut lengthwise into wedges or large squares)
50g (1.8 oz) dry glass noodles (cellophane or mung bean vermicelli)
6 cloves garlic (finely minced)
2 scallions (finely sliced, for garnish)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
The Savory Garlic Broth Base:
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp hot water or chicken stock
Step-by-Step Directions
Soak Noodles: Place the dry glass noodles into a bowl of warm water and let them soak for 15 minutes until pliable and soft. Drain thoroughly and use kitchen shears to cut them into shorter, manageable lengths.
Prep Cabbage: Wash the Napa cabbage leaves well. Cut them into large bite-sized squares or arrange them in neat, long wedges. Arrange the cabbage evenly across the bottom of a heatproof plate that fits inside your steamer.
Layer Noodles: Spread the drained glass noodles uniformly in a layer directly over the center of the cabbage bed.
Fry Golden Garlic: Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes until it turns a light golden-amber color and smells highly fragrant. Do not burn it. Turn off the heat.
Season and Drizzle: Mix the light soy sauce, sugar, and hot water together. Pour this savory liquid over the noodles and cabbage, then spoon the golden fried garlic and its infused oil evenly across the top.
Steam: Place the plate inside a steamer over boiling water. Cover tightly and steam on high heat for 10 to 12 minutes until the cabbage stems are completely translucent and tender and the glass noodles are plump. Garnish with scallions and serve hot.
Cooking Tips
Don't Over-fry the Garlic: Garlic continues to cook from residual heat even after you turn off the stove. Remove the skillet from the burner the exact second the garlic starts turning pale yellow; it will deepen into a perfect sweet golden-brown on its own without bittering.
Nutrition Facts
(Estimated per serving)
Calories: ~140 kcal
Total Fat: 10g
Saturated Fat: 1.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: ~510mg
Total Carbohydrates: 12g
Dietary Fiber: 1.5g
Sugars: 2g
Protein: 1.5g
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