This easy Japanese-style Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry makes a quick vegetable side or main dish for your lunch or dinner. My flavorful recipe balances savory smoked bacon and shiitake mushrooms with the slightly sweet flavor of napa cabbage that’s cooked until just tender. Full of dietary fiber and vitamins, it’s my favorite way to bring umami to this beloved Asian cabbage. {Vegetarian adaptable}
Got a head of napa cabbage? This Japanese-style Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry recipe couldn’t be simpler! A quick cook in a hot pan with smoked bacon and shiitake mushrooms, and finish off with a seasoning of soy sauce and fresh grinds of black pepper. You’ll be amazed at the incredible amount of flavor from this humble Asian cabbage.
This stir-fry makes a welcome side to just about any Japanese or Asian dinner—pan-fried or baked tofu, braised brisket, fried eggs, baked chicken, miso salmon, you name it.
Table of Contents
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- Quick and simple. Ideal for a weeknight vegetable dish.
- Use up a lot of napa cabbage. The easiest way to utilize the cabbage, especially after using it just for one recipe that calls for a few leaves.
- Healthy and nutritious! Napa cabbage offers a lot of vitamins and minerals and is also an excellent source of dietary fiber. What’s not to love?
What is Napa Cabbage?
Thanks to its unique texture and sweetness, napa cabbage, also widely known as Chinese cabbage or hakusai (白菜) in Japanese, is a favorite cabbage used in East Asian cuisines.
If you’re new to this Asian vegetable, you can read more about its health benefits, how to buy the best, how to store it, and all the information here.
You can find napa cabbage at an Asian market or major grocery stores these days.
A Quick Recipe Note
This Japanese version of napa cabbage stir-fry might remind you of Chinese cabbage stir-fry dishes at take-out restaurants or your mom’s homestyle dish. It is indeed very similar, but the main difference is we don’t typically include garlic or ginger as the smoked bacon and shiitake mushrooms already lend a ton of aroma to the dish. We also use just a splash of soy sauce and black pepper for the seasoning, whereas Chinese cabbage stir fries commonly include oyster sauce.
How to Make Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Napa cabbage (Hakusai)
- Shiitake mushrooms (optional) – You can use other types of mushrooms if you prefer. Not a fan of mushrooms? Leave it out or use other veggies such as carrots and onion.
- Bacon (optional) – I added bacon for protein and a boost of savory flavor and dimensional texture. You can switch it out with shrimp if you’d like. Skip the bacon if you’re vegan/vegetarian. You could also substitute it with tofu or seitan for more substance.
- Salt and black pepper
- Soy sauce
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Cut the napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and bacon.
- Stir fry bacon until the fat is rendered.
- Add the tough part of the napa cabbage and cook covered.
- Add the leafy part of the napa cabbage and cook covered.
- Season the stir-fry with soy sauce and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry Cooking Tips
Napa cabbage comes with tender leaves and thick white ribs in the center, so it’s wise to treat them differently when cutting, cooking, and seasoning.
- Cut the tough, thick pieces of the napa cabbage into smaller pieces than the leafy pieces.
- Cook the tough napa cabbage pieces first, and then the leafy pieces.
- Season the napa cabbage with salt in separate stages: when cooking tough ribs and leafy parts.
What to Serve with Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry
The sweet, savory flavor of the stir-fry complements many dishes, but try these recipes if you’re looking for some suggestions:
- Instant Pot Honey Spare Ribs
- Miso Salmon
- Kinpira Renkon (Japanese Lotus Root Stir-Fry)
- Teriyaki Tofu
- Braised Pork Belly
- Slow Cooker Sriracha Chicken Wings
- Japanese Egg Drop Soup
Other Napa Cabbage Recipes
- Creamy Napa Cabbage and Bacon Pasta
- Quick Korean Fresh Kimchi
- Mille-Feuille Nabe
- Mizore Nabe (Hot Pot with Grated Daikon)
Tableware from Musubi Kiln
I’ve partnered with a great ceramic online shop from Japan called Musubi Kiln. You will get 10% off with a coupon code JUSTONECOOKBOOK for your purchase. In this post, I’ve used:
- Hibino Summum Mino Ware Kobachi Bowl S
- NATAME Yamanaka Lacquer Miso Soup Bowl
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Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ napa cabbage (1 lb, 454 g, including the core for 4 servings)
- 3 shiitake mushrooms (1.8 oz, 50 g for 4 servings; you can substitute other types of mushrooms or carrots and onion, or skip altogether)
- 3 slices applewood smoked bacon (4 oz, 113 g for 4 servings; bacon adds protein, a savory flavor, and dimensional texture; you can substitute shrimp, tofu, or seitan; skip for vegan/vegetarian)
- 2-3 tsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc.) (for stir-frying, if needed)
- ¼ tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt) (divided)
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp soy sauce
For Serving
- Japanese sansho pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Cut the napa cabbage crosswise into pieces 2 inches (5 cm) long, and then cut the tough, thick pieces in half or thirds lengthwise.
- Cut off and discard the stems of the shiitake mushrooms. Thinly slice the shiitake caps.
- Cut the bacon slices into strips ½ inch (1.3 cm) wide.
To Stir-Fry
- Heat an ungreased large frying pan on medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the bacon and stir-fry.
- Cook until the bacon fat has rendered. I added a little bit of oil to coat the bottom of my well-seasoned carbon steel pan as there wasn't enough rendered fat.
- Add the tough, thick pieces of napa cabbage. Sprinkle with half the salt.
- Stir to mix and cook, covered, on medium-low heat for 2 minutes.
- Open the lid and stir. Add the shiitake and the tender, leafy pieces of the napa cabbage.
- Sprinkle with the rest of the salt and stir to mix.
- Cook, covered, for 3-4 minutes. Open the lid and see if the tough napa cabbage pieces are cooked through.
- If not, cover and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir to make sure the napa cabbage is crisp-tender and evenly cooked.
- Season with freshly ground black pepper and soy sauce. Stir to mix.
- Transfer the Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry to a large plate. I sprinkle my stir-fry with freshly ground Japanese sansho pepper (optional) to enjoy.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and keep them for 3 days in the refrigerator or for up to a month in the freezer.
