This quick sauteed cabbage with the tasty Asian flavours of garlic, sesame and red chili pepper couldn’t be easier. Ready in about 5 minutes and the perfect complement to grilled meat, tofu, or my super saucy, sweet & spicy hoisin freezer meatballs.
I wasn’t going to post this recipe at first because it’s just so damn simple…but then I thought…why not?
It is really simple but maybe this will open the door to more explorations in cabbage. Maybe this will inspire one of you out there on the interwebs to give cabbage a try.
Cabbage is criminally underrated. It’s so versatile and can be jazzed up in so many ways.
Feeling Italian? Try some pesto roasted cabbage steaks topped with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Middle Eastern? Roast some cabbage wedges with tahini, sesame seeds and sumac – serve with your favourite grilled or a dollop of hummus and some fresh tomates. Excellent choices all around.
Cabbage is light, tasty, hearty but still low-carb, and adapts to different flavours so well. Cabbage! Who knew!
Today the focus of this recipe is super quick sauteed cabbage with an Asian flair. After all cabbage and Asian food is truly a match made in culinary heaven.
What you need to make 5-minute sauteed cabbage with garlic, sesame and chili pepper
This recipes comes together really quick and easy with just a few ingredients. It doesn’t have to be super precise and you basically just toss it all onto the cut up cabbage and rub it in with your hands.
Cabbage: Half a medium sized head of cabbage cut into roughly 2 cm/1 inch pieces will make about 4 servings.
Garlic: 1 cloves finely diced or mashed.
Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons soy sauce of your choice.
Red chili pepper: 1 small red chili pepper cut into thin rings with the seeds removed. You can add more or less according to your heat preferences.
Sesame oil: 1 teaspoon of sesame oil for flavour.
Sesame seeds: 1 teaspoon each of black and white sesame seeds (if you have both colors) and a bit more for garnish.
That’s it!
Pro tip: Don’t forget to wash your hands after handling the hot chili pepper and for the love of all that’s good in this world, don’t touch your eyes.
Quick Sauteed Cabbage Cooking Instructions
Cut the cabbage and give it a rub: Cut up the cabbage and toss it along with all the other ingredients into a large bowl. Get your hands in there and massage the cabbage, squeezing it in your hands to get the flavours really rubbed in.
Heat oil on high and cook it fast: In the meantime heat about 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil on high in a wok or just a skillet. When the oil is hot, throw in the cabbage. Sautee for about 5 minutes, mixing constantly so it cooks evenly.
Enjoy your cabbage!
5-Minute Sauteed Cabbage with Garlic, Sesame & Chili Pepper

A 5-minute sauteed cabbage recipe featuring the delicious Asian inspired combination of garlic, sesame, chili pepper, and the umami goodness of soy sauce.
- Prep Time: 3
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
1/2 head of green cabbage
1 clove of garlic, mashed or finely diced
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 small red chili pepper, thinly sliced and seeds removed
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 teaspoon each of black and white sesame seeds
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
Instructions
Cut the cabbage into roughly 2 cm/1 inch pieces.
Toss it into a bowl with the soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, chili pepper, and sesame seeds and massage it to really rub in the flavours.
Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a skillet on high heat. Once the oil is hot, toss in the cabbage.
Saute for about 5 minutes, mixing often so it cooks evenly.
Top with more sesame seeds and some green onion if you’re feeling frisky.
Keywords: cabbage, sauteed cabbage, garlic cabbage, Asian cabbage
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