A while ago, some friends and I visited a Taiwanese restaurant in Paris. A few dishes we ordered, like fried tofu and Taiwanese sausages, accompanied by a vibrant golden colour pickled cabbage on the side. It was delightfully crunchy, tangy with a hint of sweetness, and carried a subtle sesame aroma. This side dish was so delicious that it became almost addictive.
Determined to satisfy my cravings whenever I want, I decided to make a copycat recipe of the golden pickled cabbage I loved so much. At first, I thought making them would be a daunting task, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy. It’s a delicious, fool-proof dish to make!
Ingredients (serves 2-3)
- 500g napa cabbage
- 80-90g carrot, peeled
- 60g sushi or white vinegar
- 50g sugar
- 10-15g sesame paste
- 2-3tsp sesame oil
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
Instructions
- Rinse cabbage. Chop up the cabbage into 4 cm pieces. Add 3g salt and little sugar, mix well and allow it to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until cabbage softens.
- While waiting for the cabbage to soften, make the marinade. Heat little oil in a non-stick pan, sauté sliced carrot over medium heat until cooked, add splash of water if needed.
- Place cooked carrot, sesame paste, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, and vinegar in a food processor, blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking, if required.
- Squeeze out the water from the softened cabbage, mix cabbage and marinade sauce evenly, cover container with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before eating. Consume within 2 days.
Notes
- To make the dish more eye pleasing, consider adding some additional shredded carrot to cabbage
- Napa / Chinese cabbage, white / green cabbage are interchangeable, although I think napa tastes juicier.
- Use 100% pure sesame paste.
- Sesame oil can be replaced by olive oil. I simply used sesame oil that stays on top of sesame paste.
- You can use sushi vinegar or white vinegar. Sushi vinegar has a milder taste. You may want to add slightly more sugar if using white vinegar.
