This Vietnamese boiled cabbage recipe is incredibly simple. What makes it different is the dipping sauce that goes with it!
A typical Vietnamese meal at my family’s house includes some kind of meat or protein, rice, and always some sort of vegetable dish, even if the protein dish was vegetable-heavy. One side dish that I had at the dinner table often was this boiled cabbage recipe I’m going to share with you.
It was probably so common because it’s so easy to prepare in a pinch with affordable cabbage and eggs which we always had stocked in the fridge.
Vietnamese Boiled Cabbage (Bấp Cải Luộc)
This easy and quick boiled cabbage side dish is a staple in Vietnamese homes.
Ingredients
- 5 c filtered water for boiling
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp fish sauce to taste
- small squeeze of fresh lime
- minced Thai chile pepper optional
Instructions
- Pour 5 c filtered water in a large pot and put it on the stove on high heat until it reaches boiling. We want just enough water to cover the cabbage.
- Rinse the head of cabbage then cut in half. Cut 1/2 head cabbage in one direction, creating 1.5" strips, then cut crosswise, so we end up with bite sized pieces about 1.5" x 2".
- Once the water is boiling, add half the cabbage to the pot for 2-4 minutes until tender and then remove with a strainer onto a plate. You can reserve the water used for boiling to drink as a soup. If not, you can use the water to boil eggs for the next step.
Dipping sauce
- Get 2" of water in a small pot boiling on high heat, then add 1 egg. Lower the heat to a slow boil. After 7 minutes remove the egg and rinse under cold tap water for 30 seconds, then peel the egg..
- Mash the hard-boiled egg in a shallow bowl and add 1 tbsp fish sauce and a small squeeze of fresh lime to taste. If you want an extra kick, add a bit of minced Thai chile pepper.
- Adjust the sauce as needed, then simply dip the cabbage into the sauce as you eat. You can add more fish sauce if needed during the meal.
Nutrition Facts
Vietnamese Boiled Cabbage (Bấp Cải Luộc)
Amount per Serving
Calories
106
% Daily Value*
Fat
3
g
5
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Cholesterol
93
mg
31
%
Sodium
73
mg
3
%
Potassium
452
mg
13
%
Carbohydrates
17
g
6
%
Fiber
7
g
29
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
6
g
12
%
Vitamin A
352
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
93
mg
113
%
Calcium
114
mg
11
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Did you cook this recipe?Tag @HungryHuy or #hungryhuy–I’d love to see it!
Like this recipe? Subscribe to my newsletter!
i luv boiled cabbage. ba noi makes it all the time…but i have neverrrrrr seen that sauce before.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with Weekend Wokking.
easy easy easy cool thank u!
Yum! We eat this in my family all the time when there’s no time to cook. The egg in fish sauce really enhances the cabbage. We also save the broth from boiled cabbage and add lime juice to it along with sugar and salt seasoned to taste. It’s great when poured over rice with the boiled cabbage and sauce. Like a soup, but different, very refreshing. For best tastes, select the cabbages that are light in weight, they are much sweeter tasting
Great idea for the broth!
And great tip for the lighter cabbage as well- I wonder why the lighter would be sweeter?
Thanks for sharing Thuy–I’ll keep that in mind.
Childhood memory.
Haven’t eat this for so long.
Hey! Stumbled onto your blog from Food gawker,awesome stuff!!! This post reminds me of a post I put up a while ago, with similar sauce and okra:
http://bakingatmidnight.blogspot.com/2009/04/simple-things.html
Putting u in my bookmark 🙂
Hi Huy,
My mom makes this with fermented chili bean curd. So simple and so good. Reminds me of my childhood. Hope you’re well. I just visited our grandparents and your mom and dad the other night with Joanna. She showed me this. Nice food blog. 🙂