Braised Napa Cabbage

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you braise napa cabbage? Gather everything on the ingredient list. For a juicy, bright finished dish, use cherry tomatoes or one large tomato.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel the onion, carrot, and garlic and rinse them. You can leave the garlic out if you like. Shred the carrot on a coarse grater, press or mince the garlic, and cut the onion into quarter-rings or smaller.

3. Step 3:

   

   Remove the damaged outer leaves from the napa cabbage. Rinse it and cut it into thin strips.

4. Step 4:

   

   Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic to sauté. Cook, stirring, over high heat until golden.

5. Step 5:

   

   Rinse the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. You can peel the tomatoes first if you like. Add the cabbage, tomatoes, and tomato paste to the skillet. Stir everything well. I added the cabbage in batches, stirring constantly.

6. Step 6:

   

   Lower the heat to medium. Cover the skillet and braise until everything is done. After a bit, lift the lid and check that the cabbage isn't scorching. If the tomatoes haven't released enough juice, add a little water (I added half a cup of boiling water).

7. Step 7:

   

   After 10–15 minutes, lift the lid. Salt the dish to taste. Add your favorite dry spices at this point — I used dried herbes de Provence and a vegetable seasoning blend. Stir, raise the heat slightly, and leave it on the stove for another 3–5 minutes. At the end, add chopped fresh herbs. Dill, parsley, or young green onion all work great.

8. Step 8:

   

   Before serving, sprinkle the finished cabbage with ground allspice or black pepper.