Chinese Cabbage with Sesame Dressing

Today’s Chinese cabbage with sesame dressing is a salad and also be a side dish paired with wine.The Chinese call this dish Qianlong cabbage(乾隆白菜), because Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty once ate it and greatly appreciated it. No matter which dish, as long as it has something to do with the emperor, it will be famous everywhere. What’s more worth mentioning is that the ingredients are so common and easy to get, and there are no expensive or rare ingredients.

Of course, it originated in a restaurant in Beijing because of the sesame paste in the ingredients. We all know that sesame paste cannot leave the dinner table of people who live in Beijing. For them, sesame paste goes well with everything. Beijingers love sesame paste far more than you might think. The recipes from Beijing that I have made before, pancake with sesame paste, cold noodles with sesame paste, can fully attest to this.

Cabbage is the main vegetable stored in northern China in winter, so it is not surprising that it appears frequently. Some people say that which kind of vegetables is not as good as cabbage that can be stewed, fried, and of course be salad. As a salad dish, choose the heart of the cabbage because it is relatively tender. You can use the amount of sesame paste as you like. If you like it very much, why not add more.

Northerners always add a little vinegar to their cold dishes. In this dish, it is a soul-like existence, making this dish more special and delicious. Of course, if you don’t like sour taste, you can leave it out.