Napa cabbage (or regular white cabbage), salted and pressed to soften, then dressed with a hot and sour sauce of dried chilli oil, Chinkiang vinegar, garlic, and a small amount of sugar and soy sauce. A quick, bright, assertive cold preparation — the Chinese equivalent of a quick pickle, eaten as a side dish to moderate the richness of heavier preparations.
**The cabbage preparation:** Shred the napa cabbage finely (approximately 3mm). Salt generously (1 teaspoon per 200g cabbage). Toss and leave for 30 minutes — the salt draws moisture from the cabbage cells, softening the texture from raw-crunchy to pleasantly yielding while preserving a slight bite. **Pressing:** After salting: press the cabbage firmly with a plate or heavy object for 15 minutes. This removes additional moisture and compacts the cabbage slightly, making it more receptive to the dressing. **Rinse, drain, dress:** Rinse the salted, pressed cabbage under cold water — removing most of the salt. Squeeze firmly to remove the water. The cabbage at this point should be limp but not waterlogged. **The dressing:** Dried chilli oil (Entry FD-30) or dried chilli flakes fried briefly in oil. Chinkiang black vinegar. Minced garlic. Light soy sauce. A small amount of sugar. Sesame oil (a drop). Dress immediately before serving.
Fuchsia Dunlop, *Land of Plenty* (2001); *Every Grain of Rice* (2012); *Land of Fish and Rice* (2016); *The Food of Sichuan* (2019)