Chili crisp cabbage

"Scary spice" cabbage with tofu

I get my favorite recipe ideas from travel. This time, the inspiration was from a trip I wasn't even on! My husband visited Atlanta recently and friends took him to one of their favorite Chinese restaurants, Tasty China. He was raving about everything he tasted, but his favorite was something he described as stir fried cabbage in chili crisp sauce. This stood out to me because neither of us are fans of cabbage, and he's afraid of chili crisp!

Funny side note: I bring out my bottle of chili crisp every chance I get to add flavor to ramen, fried rice, etc. My husband looked at the bottle and decided it looked too spicy. Visible chunks of chilis floating in oil? A stern looking woman on the label? He called it "scary spice," and refused to taste it. The truth is, chili crisp isn't actually very spicy. It has a medium heat level, and a funky numbing numbing sensation from Sichuan peppercorns, but the main flavor it brings to the table is umami. He finally learned this when he was emboldened by the delicious food at Tasty China and tried this cabbage dish.

After my husband shared a link to the menu, I did some internet sleuthing and created a simple version with what I had on hand. Even though I never tasted the original, he said I came pretty close. I look forward to trying Tasty China's and getting more inspiration when I'm in Atlanta next year. In the meantime, for this home cook, this is a deceptively easy recipe that is greater than the sum of its parts. It also may be the first cabbage recipe I've truly loved. 

**If you'd like to turn this into a complete meal, tear up a box of firm or extra firm tofu and sauté it with the cabbage. Add an extra tablespoon of chili crisp and an extra splash of water. 

"Scary spice" cabbage

Sauce:
3 T water
2 T vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T chili crisp
2 t sugar
1 heaping t cornstarch
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 t sesame oil

Stir-fry:
1 t neutral oil like canola
1 T chili crisp
1/2 small head cabbage, chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or cup.

Heat a large skillet or wok (I used cast iron) to medium-high. Add oil, 1 T chili crisp, and cabbage. Stir and cook until the leaves just start to turn tender.

Stir the sauce again to distribute any cornstarch that collected at the bottom and pour into the pan. Stir and saute until the cabbage turns tender but still crispy, and the sauce has thickened, several more minutes.