midweek gems #22
Sichuan cabbage stir-fry | premium aged Chinese black vinegar | wifi and cell networks for Vietnam travel
Hey there,
My fridge usually has at least two kinds of cabbage — regular green and napa cabbage. This week, I was thinking about cabbage as I bought extra napa for the upcoming dumpling class. BTW — there’s still time if you want to slide in to register for the class, I’d love to craft dumplings with you!
I have other exciting classes on my to-teach list, so I won’t be repeating DIY Dumpling Fest any time soon. Register to ramp up your dumpling game!
Join us for the livestream (or if you’ve registered and can’t attend, watch the recording so it’s like you were there). I’ll answer any and all follow-up questions. And, if you’re a paid PTFS subscriber, save 20% with this promo code.
💎 Washing cabbage
Are you a cabbage washer? I always remove sad leaves and save them for stock, then I give the cabbage a quick rinse. In that process, I often wonder: Does that rinse do much? Sometimes I’ll spray a portion of cabbage to get some moisture on the leaves for cooking. 🤔 What are your thoughts?
💎 Sichuan Tangy Cabbage Stir-Fry
I thought hard about cabbage washing because author Betty Liu included it in the recipe instructions for Sichuan tangy cabbage stir-fry. Only if necessary for a particular outcome do we cookbook authors generally include vegetable washing instructions in recipes. Otherwise, you let the cook do what they want to for hygiene purposes.
So, I washed and drained the leaves extra well in order to test drive the stir-fry recipe from Betty’s recent cookbook, The Chinese Way. The recipe was dead simple and delicious, with slight heat from chile, numbing zing from Sichuan peppercorn, and a hint of sweetness from star anise. The tang comes from vinegar (keep scrolling down!) I posted the recipe on my website along with a video with pointers so you’ll know what to expect.
We all need more easy vegetable sides in our lives and Betty’s 15-minute Sichuan cabbage stir-fry is one of them! Get the full recipe and tips.
💎 10-year-old Sichuan vinegar
Betty’s recipe was an excuse to use a terrific ingredient, Sichuan vinegar. I don’t know a ton about Chinese vinegars but this one is imported and sold by Taylor Holliday and her daughter, Fongchong Havighurst. They own and operate the Mala Market and are the only Stateside source for this thick, syrupy and savory vinegar.
Imagine sultry, slightly smoky balsamic vinegar. The 10-year-old Baoning vinegar is that good. The bottle kinda looks like a cognac bottle.
I mostly use 10-year-old Baoning vinegar for dipping sauces and to dress salads. Added to the Sichuan cabbage stir-fry, it lends a certain sophistication to the humble dish. You can use other black vinegars from China (or use the sub I have in the recipe) but it won’t be as good. Mala Market has a 3-year-old Baoning vinegar but heck, one bottle of the 10-year-old has lasted me years.
💎 Travel: Wifi & cell service in Vietnam
For those of you heading to Vietnam, you may need pointers on staying connected while in country:
Wifi in hotels and businesses tends to be solid in Vietnam, especially in urban areas. If you get lost and need wi-fi, pop into a cafe and explain your situation. Chances are they’ll let you hop on their wifi network for free.
When you’re out and about, consider an eSIM — if your phone is unlocked. My brother and sister rely on Airalo.com for their annual trips to the motherland.
In 2024, my phone was locked with AT&T, which had cruddy international service in Vietnam. Panicked about not being able to use Google Maps, browse Safari or book a ride using Grab, I rented a portable hotspot from wifi4asia.com.
The service seemed sketchy at first but worked out very well. They delivered the kit (above) to me at our Airbnb in Hanoi and picked it up after I checked out of my hotel in Saigon (HCMC). The hotspot is a mobile router that can be shared with multiple devices. The downside is that you have to remember to charge it if you’re going to be out for the whole day. It is the size of a business card case.
To text locals for free, I used WhatsApp. Some folks prefer Viber. Zalo requires a local phone number. If your Vietnamese is rusty, use Google Translate for basic communication. Got tips for traveling to Vietnam? Share them in comments.
💎 Frozen fries 🍟
I’m working on a Vietnamese recipe for this week’s Sunday Special that involves French fries. Clueless about frozen fries, I started a PTFS chat thread. Folks had their opinions about frozen potato products. I went to the store and grabbed some. As part of recipe development, we’ll be doing a frozen fries tasting. Rory is very excited, he said.
I’m sure you have a favorite brand and kind, so let’s see if our PTFS tastes match!
More on Sunday — actually Saturday, because I have to send the dispatch out early so I have time to prep to teach on Sunday!
Join us behind the paywall, if you’d like to make an updated Viet classic.
As for frozen fries: I just don't eat them enough to ever have gone that route.
The few times I have fries I just cut up one or two potatoes, let them soak in cold water, then deep-fry the dried(!) chips for five minutes at 135C, let them cool off and deep-fry them again at 175C, again for five minutes.
That sounds like a lot of faff but it's mostly waiting, and the hands-on part isn't much work.
I can't keep buying new pots and bottles of this and that, since my three very long kitchen shelves, plus two cupboards and a pantry, are already way too filled/full.
Luckily I already have a quite-but-not-crazy-posh black vinegar that I really like. It's from Japan:
'Orihoro Jukeei Brown Rice Black Vinegar'.
I bought one bottle years ago, because I disliked the taste of cheap Chinese dark vinegar.
It was a bit of a gamble but it paid off: I haven't used any other Asian-style black vinegar since.