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Paleo Chinese Cabbage Stir-Fry with shredded cabbage in a Chinese-inspired stir-fry sauce. This healthy delicious side dish is Paleo, Whole30, and Vegan friendly and goes well with any savory main dishes. It will add wonderful new flavor to your cabbage stir-fry!
Paleo Chinese Cabbage Stir-Fry
It might seem odd to share a cabbage stir-fry side dish in the midst of December holiday season. I was debating whether I should write another holiday dessert recipe or go a completely different route. Believe it or not, Nate and I had been nibbling on sweets since September this year because of my content production schedule so by the month of December we are quite okay with skipping sweets and craving cleaner food with less sugar.
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I’ve always loved cabbage, especially Napa cabbage and savoy. If you are a cabbage fan, check out my Paleo Chicken and Napa cabbage stir-fry, Korean Japchae, Lion’s Head Meatballs, and Paleo Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad.
Store-bought shredded cabbage VS. homemade
I’m not a fan using pre-shredded vegetables. They are convenient but tend to have drier texture and the flavor is more bland. If you can, I highly recommend using a mandolin slicer (not a cheese grater) to shred the cabbage by yourself. You’ll find that the vegetables are so much more delicious and flavorful than the pre-made version.
How to use star anise in stir-fry
Star anise is such a staple pantry item in Chinese cooking. Here’s a rough guideline on how to use star anise in Chinese stir-fry.
- Select a neutral flavor oil such as avocado oil
- Fragrant the hot oil with 1 whole star anise pod among other aromatics (garlic, ginger, chili peppers etc.)
- Add your stir-fry vegetables and sauté
- Before serving, either discard the star anise or leave it in the plate. It’s not meant to be consumed.
Check out my Whole30 Asian Pantry Guide for more Info!
More Cabbage Recipes!
- Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry with Quail Eggs
- Instant Pot Chicken Cabbage Soup
- Sauteed Taiwanese Cabbage
- Creamed Napa Cabbage Casserole
This Paleo Chinese Cabbage Stir-Fry is easy, healthy, crunchy, light, and delicious. It’s also Whole30 and Vegan friendly.
If you give this Paleo Chinese Cabbage Stir-Fry a try, be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hit the share button so more people can enjoy this wonderful side dish ! It’ll help me and my blog tremendously. Thanks in advance !
Paleo Chinese Cabbage Stir-Fry (Whole30, Vegan)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 3 large cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 1 whole star anise
- 2 tsp finely chopped ginger , about 3 thin slices
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
- Salt to taste
- ½ to ⅔ lb savoy cabbage , shredded
- 1.5 cups julienned carrots , about 1 large carrot
Sauce:
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
- ⅛ tsp black ground pepper
Garnish:
- 1 bulb scallion , chopped
- 1 to 2 tsp toasted sesame oil , optional
Instructions
- In a well-heated large skillet, add avocado oil. Saute garlic, star anise, ginger, and pepper flakes with a pinch of salt over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 to 1.5 minutes.
- Add cabbage and carrots. Saute for about 2 minutes until they turn slightly softer. Season with another pinch of salt. Add sauce. Toss to coat evenly. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes,
- Uncover and toss/stir-fry the vegetables again for about 10 seconds. Taste test to add more salt or coconut aminos if desired. Off heat, garnish with scallions and sesame oil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What goes well with Paleo Chinese Cabbage Stir-Fry?
My shredded cabbage stir-fry is light, crunchy, and full of flavor. It’ll go well with savory main dishes such as Paleo Beef Broccoli, Paleo Chicken Broccoli, Thai Basil Beef, Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew, Sesame Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Herb Roasted spatchcock chicken, and many many more.
You can also pair the cabbage stir-fry with baked Paleo Egg Rolls, Extra crispy Chinese chicken wings, Chinese chicken lettuce wraps, and paleo crispy sesame tofu. The possibilities are endless! For more plant-based recipe ideas, check out my 60+ Whole30 vegetarian vegan recipes.
Is this recipe vegan? Cause I see you say whole 30 vegan, but mentions “chicken” for the sauce, I’m curious cause I’m a vegan
In the sauce, you can use either vegetables stock or chicken stock.
Just finishing dinner right now. This was SO GOOD!! I didn’t have Savoy cabbage so I used regular cabbage and it was still amazing. That star anise really elevated this dish. I wasn’t in the mood to cook so this, canned sardines, and rice was dinner. Yum!
So happy to hear. Thank you so much, Erika. I appreciate it!
OMG! This recipe is soo good I can’t stop eating it! The flavors are so perfect with little salt!! I confess, I did add a few chopped peanuts to my serving. I also added some chopped mustard, turnip, collards & spinach mix to the cabbage. It was awesome! I will definitely make this again!! I love Asian food! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. I would use this as a stuffing.
Thank you so much, Patti! Appreciate it!
Looks delicious — love stir fried cabbage, looking forward to trying!