Hot & Sour Cabbage

Directions

Separate, wash and dry cabbage leaves. Stack them up and cut them crosswise into 1inch wide pieces.

Finely mince or grind Szechuan peppercorns. Crush rock sugar with cleaver handle; mix with soy sauce; reserve.

Stir-frying:

Heat wok to moderate; add oil. Wait 30 seconds. Stir-fry whole chilis until they just blacken; quickly add peppercorns.

When they exude pungent odor, push up the side of the wok and raise heat to high.

Add salt and cabbage all at once. Keep tossing cabbage until it is wilted and soft. This takes several minutes.

There should be about 2 tablespoons of water in the wok when cabbage is wilted. Add sugar and soy mixture. When sugar has melted, toss with cabbage, then sprinkle vinegar over all.

Keep tossing on high heat for another 20 seconds. Add sesame oil; toss briefly; remove to serving dish.

If serving this dish cold, wait until it has cooled, then cover and refrigerate.