Hand-shredded cabbage

Method

1. 1 Tear the cabbage by hand into large pieces along the grain; the rough edges will hold the sauce better than knife cuts.
2. 2 Fry thinly sliced smoked meat in a dry pan for 5 minutes to render the fat and crisp the edges.
3. 3 Sauté the dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic in the oil for 40 seconds.
4. 4 Add the cabbage to the pan and stir-fry over the highest heat for exactly 3 minutes, without covering the pan to prevent the vegetables from releasing too much water.
5. 5 Season the pan with soy sauce and sprinkle with chopped scallions; this Hunan version uses the smoky flavor of the meat instead of vinegar, so no vinegar is added.