China · Beijing
Qianlong Cabbage
Torn inner cabbage leaves tossed with a thick sesame paste dressing sharpened by aged vinegar. Sour, sweet and crunchy, with no cooking involved at all.
Despite the imperial name, this is a cold dish built on one idea: enough good vinegar to loosen sesame paste until it ribbons down rather than sitting in clots. It belongs to the Beijing repertoire, where cold dishes carry a diner through a long banquet of heavier plates. Tearing the leaves by hand is not fussiness; the ragged edges hold dressing in a way a clean knife cut never does.
Ingredients
- tender inner chinese cabbage leaves300 g
- sesame paste2 tsp
- aged vinegar3 tsp
- sugar1 tsp
- sesame oil5 ml
- salt1 g
- toasted white sesame seeds3 g
Directions
- 1
Take only the tender inner leaves of the Chinese cabbage (the yellowish parts), remove the ribs, and tear the leaves into pieces about half a palm in size. Do not cut them with a knife, as the rough torn edges hold the dressing better.
- 2
Rinse the torn leaves thoroughly and drain them well. Any water left on them stops the dressing from clinging.
- 3
Put 30 g sesame paste in a bowl and add 45 ml aged vinegar first. Stir in one direction only, slowly thinning the paste until it falls in a fine ribbon. Do not stir back and forth, or the sesame paste will release its oil.
- 4
Add 5 g sugar to the sesame sauce and stir until even, then add 1 g salt and stir, and finally add 5 ml sesame oil and stir. Add the seasonings one at a time, stirring between each, and judge the thickness as you go.
- 5
Pour the dressing evenly over the cabbage leaves and toss gently by hand so every leaf is coated.
- 6
Scatter over the toasted white sesame seeds and serve. If you have time, let it sit for 5 minutes so the leaves take on the dressing before eating.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.