Vinegar-glazed Chinese cabbage (Culiu baicai)

1. Separate the cabbage leaves; cut the thick white part diagonally into thin slices and the green leafy part into larger pieces, keeping them separate.

2. For the sauce, mix the black rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, cornflour and water; slice the garlic and break the dried chillies in half.

3. Heat the oil in the wok over high heat and fry the chillies and garlic for 15-20 seconds until fragrant.

4. Add the white part of the cabbage and stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes until the edges turn translucent.

5. Add the leafy part, stir-fry for 1 minute, then pour in the sauce and toss for another 30 seconds until it thickens and turns glossy.

6. Serve immediately with rice.

Tip: A cheap, quick "everyday" dish of northern households, whose tangy aroma evokes cold winter days. Pour the vinegar onto the hot side of the wok: it boils briefly and its sharpness rounds off.