Returning visitors of this blog probably know that we love tossing a few ingredients into a hot wok for dinner. It’s just so easy and the results are always delicious. This Quick Stir-Fry with Napa Cabbage & Ground Meat is no exception. You’re quickly done chopping everything, even quicker stir-frying that stuff – which means you’re ready to serve in a flash. We love these kinds of simple weeknight meals you can pair perfectly with some rice or noodles. Simply fantastic!
We are huge fans of Asian cuisine. Over the years, we’ve brought back recipes and ideas from our various trips to Asian countries and regularly cook up delicious dishes inspired by that corner of the world. While this cabbage and ground meat stir-fry isn’t a classic recipe you’d find exactly as-is in a cookbook, it is definitely heavily inspired by the tasty street food dishes you can find in Hong Kong or Singapore.
Wok dishes are usually quick and easy to prepare. Although you do need to do some chopping and sauce prep beforehand. Which doesn’t necessarily have to happen right before you start cooking. You can chop most of the veggies well in advance. Like the night before or during your lunch break, for example, and then store them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. As long as everything is stored in airtight containers, it normally does not affect the quality of the veggies that much.
If you want to make dishes like this more often, you can prep various veggies, mix them according to the specific recipe, and freeze them in individual portions. The same goes for sauces and seasonings. It works great for Pad Thai, for example. There you start by making the sauce, using palm sugar, tamarind paste, and other ingredients, before firing up the wok. If you make more sauce than you need, the leftovers freeze perfectly for another day to make another Pad Thai.
If you can plan ahead, you might want to check out our guide on growing mung bean sprouts at home. They are a key ingredient in this dish, but the ones you can find in supermarkets are often not that fresh. Unfortunately, the sprouts from the supermarket tend to turn brown quite quickly when you take them home. While they remain edible and usable, they aren’t looking too appetizing sometimes. Growing them yourself at home ensures you always have fresh sprouts on hand.
As already mentioned – preparing this dish is relatively simple. First, you chop up all the ingredients you need for the stir-fry. Next, you prepare the seasoning sauce. When you’re done with that you’re ready to start cooking. Begin by frying the egg. When done, remove it from the wok and set it aside. Once that’s in a bowl, stir-fry the other ingredients and season everything with the sauce you made. Combine the veggie and meat stir-fry with the egg and some cooked rice, and you’re ready to serve.
If you’d prefer noodles over rice for dishes like this one here, simply cook some noodles and add them right before adding the sauce. Personally, I prefer the noodle version over the version with rice. Asian supermarkets offer a wide variety of wok noodles that only require a quick boil or a short soak in hot water before using them. This makes them ideal for dishes like this one here.
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Well. You can never have too many wok recipes up your sleeve, right? If you’d like to try something else after this delicious stir-fry, be sure to check out these two recipes as well: our simple Cabbage Stir-Fry with Pork Belly is perfect if you prefer something heartier. It’s just as easy to prepare as this recipe here with the ground meat.
Speaking of ground meat – one of our absolute favorite wok dishes is Pad Kra Pao (made with ground pork). Many people know this famous Thai stir-fry from a vacation in Thailand or maybe from a street food market. It’s incredibly simple and extremely delicious. We love it!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
For the meat & cabbage skillet:
some toasted sesame oil* for frying
1 large egg
1 large onion, in wedges
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
9 oz. (250g) ground meat (mixed)
1 medium carrot, diced
5.3 oz. (150g) fresh mung bean sprouts
21 oz. (600g) Napa cabbage
For the seasoning sauce:
3 tbsp. light soy sauce*
2 tbsp. dark soy sauce*
2 tbsp. fish sauce*
1 tbsp. rice vinegar*
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 small piece of ginger, grated
some cooked rice, to serve
1 spring onion, in rings (optional)
some chili flakes* or Crispy Chili Oil* to serve (optional)
(4 Personen)
Für die Kohl-Hackfleisch-Pfanne:
etwas geröstetes Sesamöl* zum Anbraten
1 Ei (L)
1 große Zwiebel, in Spalten
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
250g Hackfleisch (gemischt)
1 mittlere Karotte, gestiftet
150g frische Mungobohnen Sprossen
600g Chinakohl
Für die Würzsoße:
3 EL helle Sojasoße*
2 EL dunkle Sojasoße*
2 EL Fischsauce*
1 EL Reisessig*
1 EL brauner Zucker
1 kl. Stück Ingwer, gerieben
gekochter Reis zum Servieren
1 Frühlingszwiebel, in Ringen (optional)
ein paar Chiliflocken* oder Crispy Chili Oil* zum Servieren (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Start by preparing the veggies you need. Peel the onion and garlic. Half the onion and cut it into thin wedges – chop the garlic finely. Peel the carrot and cut it into very fine strips (julienne). Wash and drain the bean sprouts. Quarter the Chinese cabbage lengthwise and cut into bite-sized pieces. The thicker parts of the stalk should be a bit smaller, so they cook properly with the rest. Set everything aside.
2. For the seasoning sauce, combine both soy sauces, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Peel the ginger and rate it finely (there are special ginger graters* for this) – mix it into the sauce. At this point, you can also start cooking some rice.
3. When ready to cook, heat some sesame oil in a large wok*. Whisk the egg, then add it to the hot oil and cook it like an omelet – be careful, it might splatter! Flip the omelet and let it sizzle briefly, then remove from the wok and set aside.
4. Add a bit more oil if needed and heat up. Add the onion wedges and stir-fry them briefly. Once the onion has softened a bit, add the garlic. Stir-fry everything briefly – both onion and garlic can brown slightly, but be careful not to burn them. Next, add the ground meat and stir-fry until nicely browned and crumbly. Once the meat has taken some color, add the carrot sticks and continue stir-frying everything. As soon as the carrot has softened a bit, add the bean sprouts and then the Napa cabbage. Mix well and let everything cook for a while so the cabbage can wilt down a bit.
5. Add the seasoning sauce to the wok, mix well, and let everything cook for another 3-4 minutes. Finally, add the fried egg and break it into smaller pieces. Serve the stir-fry with cooked rice on plates or in bowls, and garnish with spring onion rings (optional). If you like it spicier, you can add some chili flakes or crispy chili oil as well (optional).
1. Als Erstes alle Zutaten vorbereiten – dazu die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen. Die Zwiebel halbieren und dann in dünne Spalten schneiden, den Knoblauch fein hacken. Die Karotte schälen und sehr fein stiften. Frische Sojasprossen waschen und abtropfen lassen. Den Chinakohl längs vierteln und dann in mundgerechte Stücke schneiden. Die dickeren Teile vom Strunk sollte man etwas kleiner schneiden, damit sie gleich schnell garen, wie der Rest. Alles zur Seite stellen.
2. Für die Würzsoße beide Sojasaucen, die Fischsauce, den Reisessig und den Zucker in einer kleinen Schüssel verrühren. Den Ingwer schälen und dann fein reiben (gibt extra Ingwerreiben* dafür) – zur Soße dazugeben. Den Reis kann man jetzt ebenfalls schon einmal zubereiten.
3. Eine etwas Sesamöl in einem großen Wok* erhitzen. Das Ei verquirlen und dann ins heiße Fett geben und anbraten – Vorsicht, spritzt gerne mal! Es sollte sowas wie ein kleines Omelette entstehen. Einmal wenden und kurz brutzeln lassen, dann aus dem Wok herausnehmen und zur Seite stellen.
4. Falls notwendig, noch etwas Öl nachlegen, dann die Zwiebelspalten dazugeben und kurz anbraten. Sobald die Zwiebel etwas weicher geworden ist, den Knoblauch dazugeben. Alles kurz anbraten – Zwiebel und Knoblauch dürfen ein wenig Farbe bekommen, sollten aber auf keinen Fall anbrennen. Als Nächstes das Hackfleisch dazugeben und krümelig anbraten. Sobald das Fleisch ein wenig Farbe bekommen hat, die gestiftete Karotte dazugeben und mit anbraten. Wenn die Karotte etwas weicher ist, Sojasprossen und dann den Chinakohl dazugeben. Alles gut vermengen und einige Zeit köcheln lassen, bis der Kohl ein wenig an Volumen verloren hat.
5. Die Würzsoße zum Wok dazugeben, alles gut vermengen und dann noch einmal etwa 3-4 Minuten köcheln lassen. Zum Schluss das angebratene Ei dazugeben und zerkleinern. Die Kohl-Hackfleisch Pfanne mit gekochtem Reis auf Tellern oder in Schüsseln anrichten und mit Frühlingszwiebelringen dekorieren (optional). Wer es gerne etwas schärfer mag, kann noch Chiliflocken oder Crispy Chili Oil dazugeben (optional).
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Quick Stir-Fry with Napa Cabbage & Ground Meat
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Cook Time: 00:15
- Total Time: 00:30
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Stir-Fry
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
Description
This Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry is the perfect weeknight dinner – easy to prepare, enough for a whole family and really delicious! We love it!
Ingredients
For the meat & cabbage skillet:
some toasted sesame oil* for frying
1 large egg
1 large onion, in wedges
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
9 oz. (250g) ground meat (mixed)
1 medium carrot, diced
5.3 oz. (150g) fresh mung bean sprouts
21 oz. (600g) Napa cabbage
For the seasoning sauce:
3 tbsp. light soy sauce*
2 tbsp. dark soy sauce*
2 tbsp. fish sauce*
1 tbsp. rice vinegar*
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 small piece of ginger, grated
some cooked rice, to serve
1 spring onion, in rings (optional)
some chili flakes* or Crispy Chili Oil* to serve (optional)
Instructions
1. Start by preparing the veggies you need. Peel the onion and garlic. Half the onion and cut it into thin wedges – chop the garlic finely. Peel the carrot and cut it into very fine strips (julienne). Wash and drain the bean sprouts. Quarter the Chinese cabbage lengthwise and cut into bite-sized pieces. The thicker parts of the stalk should be a bit smaller, so they cook properly with the rest. Set everything aside.
2. For the seasoning sauce, combine both soy sauces, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Peel the ginger and rate it finely (there are special ginger graters* for this) – mix it into the sauce. At this point, you can also start cooking some rice.
3. When ready to cook, heat some sesame oil in a large wok*. Whisk the egg, then add it to the hot oil and cook it like an omelet – be careful, it might splatter! Flip the omelet and let it sizzle briefly, then remove from the wok and set aside.
4. Add a bit more oil if needed and heat up. Add the onion wedges and stir-fry them briefly. Once the onion has softened a bit, add the garlic. Stir-fry everything briefly – both onion and garlic can brown slightly, but be careful not to burn them. Next, add the ground meat and stir-fry until nicely browned and crumbly. Once the meat has taken some color, add the carrot sticks and continue stir-frying everything. As soon as the carrot has softened a bit, add the bean sprouts and then the Napa cabbage. Mix well and let everything cook for a while so the cabbage can wilt down a bit.
5. Add the seasoning sauce to the wok, mix well, and let everything cook for another 3-4 minutes. Finally, add the fried egg and break it into smaller pieces. Serve the stir-fry with cooked rice on plates or in bowls, and garnish with spring onion rings (optional). If you like it spicier, you can add some chili flakes or crispy chili oil as well (optional).
Notes
Let’s cook something amazing!
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