Cabbage glass noodle stir fry is a very popular Chinese street food.
This easy cabbage glass noodle stir fry can be made within 20 minutes! It’s a perfect quick workday or weekend lunch.
You can also easily adapted it to be vegan friendly by substituting the eggs with frim tofu.
What’s Glass Noodle?
Glass noodles are made of vegetable starch – “most commonly mung bean, and less often sweet potato, or pea” (right, they are not made of glass!) – and they have a transparent appearance.
Mr He’s favorite street food
When Mr He was in middle school, he often found it super difficult to walk away from the street food sellers around the school who make glass noodle stir fry.
You can smell the aromas from 5 miles away!!
And they taste so good that he would finish the whole thing (it’s a meal size) on the way home and totally have no room for dinner anymore!
So today, I’m going to show you this addictive recipe that we found it nostalgia and satisfied our taste buds!
Vegan/Vegetarian Adaptable
Glass noodle is the main ingredient in the dish, but if you don’t have it, you can replace with rice noodle or just normal noodle (maybe not pasta..).
Other popular ingredients are cabbages, carrots, and eggs.
You can easily adapt this dish to a vegan/vegetarian friendly dish by substituting the scrambled eggs with firmed tofu. And there’s also vegan “oyster sauce” made of shiitake mushrooms.
Explore Ms Shi’s other vegan recipes ~
Chinese food: Stir-Fry Everything
Cabbages and carrots are cut into very thin slices and are stir-fried thoroughly, very thoroughly.
You might wonder why – carrots normally have an earthy and bitter taste, but they will turn into sweet flavor after you stir-fry them thoroughly with oil.
Better flavor is one of the reasons why I always stir-fry my carrots.
Some people might say the vegetables would lose some nutrients when you cook them.
But Mr He would not consume the vegetables if his taste buds can’t even enjoy them thus losing all of the nutrients!
The stir-fried egg is the secret of the aromas!
“I am surprised to realize a lot of people hate eggs, and one main reason is due to its bad smell.
We have always been a fan of eggs so we really never thought about it. It turns out that eggs contain sulfur (also known as “S” in the chemistry table if you take chemistry class), which contributes to the bad smell.
If you boil your eggs (with shell), sulfur is captured inside the shell so you can smell it when you peel the eggs (especially overcooked boil eggs).”
– Mr He wrote these upper paragraphs for me, it’s funny that he was trying to give us a chemistry lesson.
If you stir-fry your eggs with oil, sulfur would instead be released into the air (I guess this is why we always turn the fan on vent out the air when cooking!).
Magically, you can turn the eggy smell into aromas with the help of stir-fry! Many popular Chinese dishes use this trick, for example, tomato-fried-eggs (yum~).
Maybe I should share this recipe someday too!😝
How to Make cabbage glass noodle stir fry
EQUIPMENT
- 1 wok/large frying pan with lid
INGREDIENTS
- 100 grams Dry glass noodles (about 2 small bundles)
- 1/2 Cabbage (about 400g)
- 1 Carrot (Optional)
- 3 Garlic cloves (about 1 tbsp. minced garlic)
- 3 eggs
- 6 tbsp. Cooking oil (3 tbsp. for frying eggs, 3 tbsp. for frying cabbage)
Seasoning:
- 1 tbsp. Oyster sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. Aromatic vinegar (Or balsamic vinegar)
- 2 tbsp. Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. Dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Soak 100g dry glass noodles in hot water for 5 minutes until soft. Drain and cut the glass noodles in half lengthwise. Set aside.
2. Remove the core from the cabbage (*see note 1). Cut the cabbage into halves. Cover half of the cabbage with food wrap, store in the fridge. Slice the other half of the cabbage along the vertical edge into long shreds. Set aside.
3. Mince 3 garlic cloves. Optionally, shred 1 carrot. Set aside.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. I test the temperature by putting my hand about 5 inches above the pan, once I could feel the hot air, it means that the oil is hot enough.
5. Crack in 3 eggs to stir fry over medium heat for 1 minute. The eggs don’t need to be fully cooked now. Transfer the scrambled eggs to a place. Set aside.
6. Keep using medium heat. While the frying pan is still hot, add 3 tablespoons of oil in the pan, add minced garlic and shredded carrots to fry for 30 seconds.
7. Add shredded cabbage to the pan. (It might look like you have prepared too much cabbage. It’s fine! The cabbage shreds will shrink dramatically after cooked.)
8. Cover the pan with a lid, cook the cabbage over medium heat for 3 minutes. (There’s enough oil on the bottom, and the cabbage will release water, so no worries, it won’t get burnt.)
9. 3 minutes later, open the lid, the cabbage shreds should turn soft now. Stir and mix everything well.
10. Add the soaked glass noodles and seasoning sauce to the pan. (If you are new to cooking, you can prepare the sauce in a bowl before you start the cooking process. )
11. Stir and mix everything well with chopsticks or tongs.
After the glass noodles have absorbed the sauce and turned into a reddish brown color, add the scrambled eggs, mix everything well, and turn off the heat.
12. Plate and enjoy!
NOTES
1. I learned a trick to remove the core “fast”. You can try hitting the core of the cabbage on a hard surface for a couple times, the cabbage leaves should fell apart loosely after hitting .
Then you can use a small knife to cut around the core if needed. After this you should be able to pull out the core easily. I tried this method, it worked. But I think cutting the whole cabbage into halves and slice out the core would actually be easier.
My other Chinese Recipes you will also like:
Cabbage Glass Noodle Stir Fry
Equipment
- 1 wok/large frying pan with lid
Ingredients
- 100 grams Dry glass noodles (about 2 small bundles)
- 1/2 Cabbage (about 400g)
- 1 Carrot (Optional)
- 3 Garlic cloves (about 1 tbsp. minced garlic)
- 3 eggs
- 6 tbsp. Cooking oil (3 tbsp. for frying eggs, 3 tbsp. for frying cabbage)
Seasoning
- 1 tbsp. Oyster sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. Aromatic vinegar (Or balsamic vinegar)
- 2 tbsp. Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Remove the core from the cabbage (*see note 1). Cut the cabbage into halves. Cover half of the cabbage with food wrap, store in the fridge. Slice the other half of the cabbage along the vertical edge into long shreds. Set aside.
- Mince 3 garlic cloves. Optionally, shred 1 carrot. Set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. I test the temperature by putting my hand about 5 inches above the pan, once I could feel the hot air, it means that the oil is hot enough.
- Crack in 3 eggs to stir fry over medium heat for 1 minute. The eggs don't need to be fully cooked now. Transfer the scrambled eggs to a place. Set aside.
- Keep using medium heat. While the frying pan is still hot, add 3 tablespoons of oil in the pan, add minced garlic and shredded carrots to fry for 30 seconds.
- Add shredded cabbage to the pan. (It might look like you have prepared too much cabbage. It's fine! The cabbage shreds will shrink dramatically after cooked.)
- Cover the pan with a lid, cook the cabbage over medium heat for 3 minutes. (There's enough oil on the bottom, and the cabbage will release water, so no worries, it won't get burnt.)
- 3 minutes later, open the lid, the cabbage shreds should turn soft now. Stir and mix everything well.
- Add the soaked glass noodles and seasoning sauce to the pan. (If you are new to cooking, you can prepare the sauce in a bowl before you start the cooking process. )
- Stir and mix everything well with chopsticks or tongs.
- After the glass noodles have absorbed the sauce and turned into a reddish brown color, add the scrambled eggs, mix everything well, and turn off the heat.
- Plate and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- . I learned a trick to remove the core “fast”. You can try hitting the core of the cabbage on a hard surface for a couple times, the cabbage leaves should fell apart loosely after hitting .Then you can use a small knife to cut around the core if needed. After this you should be able to pull out the core easily. I tried this method, it worked. But I think cutting the whole cabbage into halves and slice out the core would actually be easier.
[…] Cabbage Glass Noodles Stir Fry […]
This was so easy and tastes great! Loved it and will make it again. Thank you!
Excellent recipe
Great taste
Can broccoli be used instead of cabbage
Thanks! Sure you can use broccoli, fresh or frozen ones both will be good. Cut them into small bite sizes, don’t need to thaw them if you use the frozen ones, and just fry them like cabbages.
[…] Cabbage Glass Noodles Stir Fry […]
This looks SOOOOOOO good! Have you ever made it with green AND purple cabbage? I’m also thinking of adding a bit of chicken or maybe flank steak for added protein.
Thanks for liking it haha! No I haven’t tried to make it with purple cabbage yet. But I can image it will taste and look good with two different kinds of cabbages. Yes great idea, chicken and beef or some shrimp will boost this dish for sure!
Hello, just curious what brand and what kind of dry glass noodles you used for this dish! Thank you so much! Can’t wait to make this.
Hi Kendyl~ I used “Longkou Pure Mung Bean Vermicelli”. Here’s an Amazon link for that https://amzn.to/3rcBsXX
It seems like it’s currently unavailable. But you can take a look at the picture, hopefully you can find something similar in your local Asian market!
Let me know if there’s any more question~
I just made this recipe today with some adaptations (didn’t have oyster sauce, ran out of eggs, added shredded zucchini with tha carrots!) and my familiy loved it!! We’re mexican so we aren’t used to making things like this at home but it was so easy and so delicious 🙂 Thank you!
OMG… this is amazing! Made exactly as directed and after eating a bowl I am ready for a nap! Definitely comfort food! Next time I am going to add a little bacon to the garlic and carrot stir fry before adding cabbage. Thank you for sharing this recipe! ❤️😘❤️
Yesss some crispy bacon sounds so good with this dish! Yum~ So glad you liked it!! Thanks for sharing the feedback with us~🤗💖
[…] Fensi is a type of dry noodle made from bean starch. It is found all over Asia and is often part of soups and salads. Because of its transparent appearance, people also refer to it as “the glass noodle” […]
So easy and yummy! I added siracha and green onion on top when it was plated. Would definitely make this again for an easy meal.
I’m usually not one for eggs but the science lesson made me laugh and the eggs really were better tasting when cooked in oil.
Haha so glad you liked it!
My husband and I love this dish!
I tried this tonight. Found I had to add more soy sauce & added sesame oil as I love sesame oil. It turned out absolutely delicious!! Will be making again & again for sure!
We had this last night and it was fast and easy! I added 1 lb of ground beef, which I cooked separately before the eggs. I also included amperage’s which I chopped into 1” pieces and added with the cheater matchstick carrots I bought. I didn’t have 2 types of soy sauce, so just used 3 TBSP on my regular low sodium. Couldn’t find glass (cellophane) noodles, so subbed “stir fry Thai” noodles. Very tasty and made enough for a second meal for the two of us. Everyone agreed that this recipe is a keeper!
Oops! Forgot to give it the 5 stars it deserves!
Thank you so much for the feedback! So glad you liked it~ There are so many smart adaptations haha~
My daughter and I are so excited to make this tomorrow. We bought some L O NGKOU vermicelli at our local Asian store but we only have regular soy sauce from the store…. is that OK or do we need to use the dark and light soy sauce…. not sure where we buy dark/light soy…. is it at the Asian store too?
Most Asian stores have both dark and light soy sauce. The dark soy sauce is named as 老抽. The light soy sauce is named as 生抽.A store clerk should be able to help you find both of them.
But yeah it’s totally fine to just use regular soy sauce! I skip dark soy sauce very often too.
Tonight was my second time making this. Tonight we added chopped chicken, celery, mushrooms, and asparagus. There was no cabbage heads available at the store, so used a 16 oz bags of shredded cabbage. So delicious! We are adding this in our rotation to be made every week, changing up veggies for a variety of tastes. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
My 17 y. o. Grandaughter made for me when I visited. My son had bragged about it. It was delicious ! And so I asked her for the recipe. Will make it this week. Love all the variations in the comments, too. I will try some of them.
Really tasty! I used 4 eggs, sesame oil and added 3 spring onions. Would fry the cabbage a little bit longer next time, and add another tbsp Oyster sauce and dark soy sauce (we love sauce!). Thank you so much for the recipe, will defined do this again
If don’t have aromatic or balsamic vinegar. What should I use?
Thank you for this recipe! It is nutritious, delicious, and very filling. I used rice vinegar, it fit right in 😀 Some of my family members with their American palettes thought it was a little bland, and added more soy sauce and teriyaki sauce to their bowls. I thought it was just right.
Easy and delicious. I substituted slivers of red pepper for carrots because I had one wilting in the fridge. We had it with pork on the side.
So yummy! We loved this!
This is so delicious that it’s made often in our home! I double it to have leftovers and use gluten free sauces for my daughter’s sake. It’s always a loved dinner!
I was about to make this dish, had everything and ordered the sweet potato glass noodles on Amazon, only to see it had a sticker on the package saying “Warning, Can Cause Cancer and other reproductive Harm.” ! I looked all over Amazon and apparently everyone is saying the same thing for these noodles, so i’m not sure where to get them that is actually safe. Any recommendations? I am unfortunately in the US where there is no local Asian food markets! I was so looking forward to making this too!! I can almost smell the picture! Lol.
[…] SOURCE: https://msshiandmrhe.com/glass-noodle-stir-fry/ […]
[…] Fensi is a type of dry noodle made from bean starch. It is found all over Asia and is often part of soups and salads. Because of its transparent appearance, people also refer to it as “the glass noodle” […]
Fast, easy, and delicious as is! Will be added to our regular rotation. Recipe easily adjustable with a variety of ingredients. Just keep the sauce and ingredient quantity the same and be mindful of what order they are added to the wok/pan so as not to overcook. Red pepper, sugar snap peas, shrimp, red onion, mushrooms… the ways to personalize are endless. A great recipe to use up random veg and/or protein in the fridge, and a vegan version should satiate everyone too. Thank you Ms Shi and Mr He!
In so-called Bulgarian cuisine (I am from BG), to combine cabbage with eggs is unheard of. Yet, soooo good prepared like this. Thank you very much for the recipe, it turned out so great, that I am willing to have it 3 times a day, seven days a week:)))) (Omitted sugar, though.) But how do you call it in Chinese? My husband has this thing about calling dishes by their original names…