Di San Xian
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Melting Pork and Cabbage
Pork shreds slid through oil, then simmered with yellow-heart cabbage until meltingly soft in a thick, clinging sauce. Adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report — 烂糊肉丝, report 185.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 烂糊肉丝_185.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 25 minutesServings: 1–2Difficulty: EasyRegion: ShanghaiFlavour: Savoury, mild
Home adaptation note: The report is one portion (80 g pork, 200 g cabbage, about 300 g finished). Quantities below are that portion. The report's cost table totals 0.00 yuan, which is arithmetically wrong, so no cost figure from it is reproduced — see the source note.
Why this works
The name says it all: this dish is meant to be soft. Pork is cut five centimetres long and three millimetres thick, coated with wine, a little salt, starch and water, and rested ten minutes so the starch fully hydrates — that keeps the shreds silky when they hit the oil. They are slid through oil at only one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty degrees for thirty seconds, just until they change colour, because hotter oil toughens them. Cabbage is treated as two vegetables: the hard ribs are sliced thin and go in first for a minute until their edges turn translucent, and the soft leaves follow for thirty seconds, so neither turns to mush nor stays raw. Then comes the defining step — three minutes covered with water or stock, long enough for the cabbage to collapse completely into the sauce. The starch glaze goes in twice, a little at a time, until the sauce hangs on a spoon and coats every shred.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork tenderloin or lean leg, cut into 5 cm shreds | 2.8 oz | 80 g | Tenderloin (tongji) per the report. |
| Yellow-heart cabbage (huangxin bai), cleaned | 7 oz | 200 g | Separate ribs from leaves; ribs sliced 0.5 cm thin, leaves cut into 2 cm strips. |
| Ginger shreds | 0.2 oz | 5 g | — |
| Scallion sections | 0.1 oz | 3 g | For garnish. |
| Salt, divided | 1/4 tsp | 2 g | 0.5 g for the pork marinade, 1.5 g for the finish. |
| Shaoxing wine | 1 tsp | 5 ml | For the pork marinade. |
| White pepper powder | 1/4 tsp | 1 g | — |
| Corn starch, divided | 1 tbsp | 15 g | 5 g for the pork, 10 g mixed with 20 ml water for the glaze. |
| Water (for the marinade and glaze) | 2 tbsp | 30 ml | 10 ml in the marinade, 20 ml in the glaze. |
| Water or stock (for braising) | 2/3 cup | 150 ml | — |
| Neutral cooking oil | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 20 ml | For sliding the pork and stir-frying. |
Equipment
- Wok or large skillet with a lid — no wok required (adaptation)
- Small bowl for the starch slurry
- Thermometer or chopstick test for the 120–130 °C oil
Steps
- Prepare. Cut the pork into 5 cm shreds, 0.3 cm thick. Toss with wine, 0.5 g salt, 5 g starch and 10 ml water and rest 10 minutes. Wash the cabbage; slice the ribs 0.5 cm thin and cut the leaves into 2 cm strips, keeping them separate.
- Slide the pork. Heat the oil to 120–130 °C (a chopstick dipped in shows fine bubbles). Slide the pork in, stir apart quickly until it changes colour, about 30 seconds, and lift out to drain.
- Fry the cabbage. Leave a little oil in the pan. Bloom the ginger shreds, add the cabbage ribs and stir-fry on high heat 1 minute until their edges turn translucent, then add the leaves and fry 30 seconds until they release water.
- Braise. Pour in 150 ml water or stock, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on medium-low heat 3 minutes until the cabbage is completely soft.
- Finish. Uncover, add the pork, the remaining 1.5 g salt and the white pepper. Mix the remaining 10 g starch with 20 ml water and drizzle it in twice, stirring, until the sauce is thick and coats a spoon, about 30 seconds. Scatter scallion and serve.
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Technique: Ribs first, leaves second
Cabbage ribs and leaves cook at different speeds, and this dish fails if they are treated as one ingredient. Ribs first until translucent, leaves second until they weep, and only then the covered braise that melts them together.
Variations
- With stock: Use chicken stock instead of water for a deeper flavour (adaptation).
- More pork: Double the pork for a meatier version (adaptation); keep the cabbage and glaze quantities the same.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my pork tough?
The sliding oil was too hot, or the pork was not rested after coating. Hold 120–130 °C and rest the full 10 minutes.
Why is the cabbage still crunchy?
The covered braise was too short. Give the full 3 minutes after the water goes in.
Why is the sauce thin?
The glaze was added all at once or too little. Drizzle it in twice, stirring, until it coats a spoon.
Storage
Best eaten fresh; the starch sauce firms as it cools. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat with a splash of water until steaming hot and the sauce loosens.
Melting Pork and Cabbage — Recipe Card
Silky pork shreds braised with melting cabbage in a thick sauce.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 25 minutesServings: 1–2
Ingredients: 80 g pork; 200 g yellow-heart cabbage; 5 g ginger; 3 g scallion; 2 g salt; 5 ml wine; 1 g white pepper; 15 g starch; 30 ml water; 150 ml water or stock; 20 ml oil.
Steps: 1) Coat pork shreds, rest 10 minutes. 2) Slide pork 30 seconds at 120–130 °C. 3) Fry cabbage ribs 1 minute, leaves 30 seconds. 4) Braise covered 3 minutes. 5) Add pork, season, glaze in two additions, serve.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 烂糊肉丝 (data/reports/185.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. The report's cost table totals 0.00 yuan despite listing priced ingredients, so no cost figure from it is reproduced.