Homemade Dongcai (Salted Preserved Cabbage)
自制冬菜 · northern cuisine · Northern
The author grew more cabbage than they could eat over the winter, so some was dried and some was preserved as salted vegetables. This was their third time making dongcai. It is the simplest method of the preserve recipes they use. Note: use the large, flat-headed cabbage variety, not round-headed cabbage.
Dottie LangfordRetired schoolteacher in Ohio who lives for church-potluck casseroles and my grandma's butter rolls. If it bakes in a 9x13 pan, I've probably made it twice.Nutrition & allergens
No supported allergens detected from surveyed ingredients.
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- Unknown
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
salt盐
17.64 oz
10.58 oz — Crush the cloves, then dice.
as needed
Techniques you'll use
- Marinating ↗
Season protein ahead with soy, wine, and starch for flavor and texture.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Peel off the outer green leaves of the flat-headed cabbage and keep the inner white part. Cut it into small dice or strips — either shape works, as long as the pieces are not too large or too long.
✅ Done when: The cabbage is done when all outer green leaves are removed and the white pieces are cut into small, even dice or strips.
Put the diced cabbage in a bowl with the coarse salt and massage and mix vigorously and thoroughly to coat. Let it salt for two days. Then squeeze out the water, add the garlic (crush the cloves first, then dice), mix well, and let it salt one more night. After that it is ready to be packed into jars. Seal each jar with a small amount of Chinese liquor. Taste for saltiness — if the pickle flavor is not enough, you can add a little more salt, but try not to make it too salty.
✅ Done when: The cabbage is done when it has salted two days, been squeezed dry and mixed with garlic, then rested one more night until softened and evenly salted.
- 3
Step 3
The cabbage should be cut into small pieces as shown — small dice or short strips, per the cut size described in the earlier steps.
✅ Done when: The pieces are done when they match the intended small dice or strip size shown in the reference photo.
- 4
Step 4
The author's first batch, shown as a reference of what the finished preserved cabbage looks like.
✅ Done when: The preserve is done when it matches the appearance of the finished batch shown in the reference photo.