{"id":224739,"date":"2026-04-09T12:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/224739\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T12:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:15:11","slug":"cruciferous-deliciousness-for-cabbage-month-in-orlando","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/224739\/","title":{"rendered":"Cruciferous deliciousness for Cabbage Month in Orlando"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chuan Fu<\/a>\u2018s cabbage dry pot, says owner Joyce Cai, is a popular Chinese homestyle dish that\u2019s often associated with Hunan or Sichuan cuisine.<\/p>\n

Bathed in garlic and dried chili peppers (and sometimes tossed with thin slices of pork belly for a non-vegetarian option), the dish\u2019s signature is that the cabbage is hand-torn rather than knife-cut.<\/p>\n

\u201cDry pot doesn\u2019t mean dry,\u201d says Cai, whose Winter Park restaurant was added to the Michelin Guide Orlando recommendation in 2024. \u201cIt means there\u2019s little to no sauce, so all the flavor clings directly to the ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a perfect dish, obviously, for National Cabbage Month (which actually includes its tiny, round and eminently roastable cousin, Brussels sprouts), one of many delicious offerings you can grab around town when you\u2019re looking for something low-calorie, but nutrient-dense.<\/p>\n

Cabbage is popular for this reason among those trying to eat healthier and\/or slim down, so much so that there are weeklong crash diets<\/a> based on its consumption.<\/p>\n

While I do love me some cabbage soup, I\u2019d much prefer to hit up Chuan Fu for what Cai calls the dry pot cabbage\u2019s \u201cirresistible guo qi flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WhoWho says cabbage isn’t dramatic? Chuan Fu’s stunning, sizzling dry pot cabbage. You’ll find it at their Michelin Guide-recommended Winter Park restaurant. (Courtesy Chuan Fu)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s stir-fried in a wok over very high heat, creating a slightly charred, smoky aroma known as guo qi. Guo means \u2018wok.\u2019 Qi is the same as \u2018air\u2019 or \u2018steam.\u2019 The cabbage gets a slightly crispy edge and there\u2019s a subtle sweetness along with a deep savory flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n

While I don\u2019t endorse a cabbage-only nutrition program for healthy weight loss, I wholly endorse cabbage itself as a delicious, healthy, crunchy, comforting part of a healthy, well-rounded eating plan. Here are a few more eat-local preparations you might want to check out.<\/p>\n

Chuan Fu: 1035 N. Orlando Ave. in Winter Park, 321-972-3606; chuanfuwinterpark.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"SupportSupport local! Looks like it’s time for me to grab another jar of Nali’s Kimchi. (Amy Drew Thompson\/Orlando Sentinel)
\nNali\u2019s Kimchi<\/p>\n

\u201cKimchi is not only healthy for you, but tastes really delicious,\u201d says Nali Park.<\/p>\n

As the local maker behind Nali\u2019s Kimchi, she might seem biased, but she\u2019s got literally thousands of years of history to back it up.<\/p>\n

And though many kinds of vegetables can make up this delightfully fermented Korean accompaniment, cabbage (generally Napa) is arguably the most prevalent.<\/p>\n

Kimchi is complex, pungent and savory. It\u2019s spicy. It\u2019s sour. It\u2019s tangy and crunchy, the more it ferments. And of course, all of these attributes can shift, depending on the mix of ingredients.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt goes so well with other foods and is loved by so many people from different cultures,\u201d says Park, noting she can\u2019t live without it and that Napa cabbage is a wonderful, versatile and highly nutritious leafy green.<\/p>\n

Chuan Fu\u2019s flavors move beyond m\u00e1l\u00e0 | Review<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s packed with Vitamins C and K and folate, which makes it excellent for bone health. It\u2019s high water content offers a hydrating, crunchy and mild, sweet flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n

I like it on everything from avocado toast to tuna fish sandwiches to hot dogs, but where can you find Nali\u2019s Kimchi besides my fridge?<\/p>\n

More info: Pick up a jar at ChiKin<\/a> at 813 N. Mills Ave, Orlando; order.toasttab.com\/online\/chi-kin-813-north-mills-avenue<\/a>\u00a0or Seoul Bol<\/a> at 5845 Winter Garden Vineland Road in Windermere; seoul-bol.com<\/a>. You can also reach out to Park directly via social media at @snparkrealtor319 on Instagram<\/a>. She\u2019s got prices that go from $7 jars to full-on gallons. (Many area restaurants buy it by the 5-gallon bucket!)<\/p>\n

\"Golubtsi<\/p>\n

Amy Drew Thompson \/ Orlando Sentinel<\/p>\n

Golubtsi (stuffed cabbage) is handmade daily at Lacomka. (Amy Drew Thompson\/Orlando Sentinel)
\nLacomka Bakery & Store<\/p>\n

Eastern Europe doesn\u2019t have a lock on cabbage, but they sure use it well, and at Lacomka Bakery & Store, where the shelves are stocked with beautiful buys from the bloc nations (as is the deli\/dessert case), you can grab up some of the housemade golubtsi and find out exactly what I mean.<\/p>\n

Delicate rolls of cabbage, stuffed with a compendium of meats, rice, veggies, and grandma-level goodness, are absolutely certain to satisfy.<\/p>\n

Enjoy a seat in the small cafe inside and partake of this and other treasures before perusing the shop, where you\u2019ll find stock from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Georgia, Belarus, Poland, Serbia and more. Thirty percent of the products are Russian, 30% Ukrainian, says co-owner David Natlia.<\/p>\n

Winter Park grocery-cafe creates community amid folks from Eastern Europe<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe rest falls all around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grab some frozen khinkali from his native Georgia to take home. And if you\u2019re looking for some Polish takes, hit up Anna\u2019s Polish and or Europol deli, as well, both in Winter Park.<\/p>\n

Lacomka Bakery & Store: 2050 FL-436 in Winter Park, 407-677-1101; lacomkaorlando.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AtAt June, the cabbage dish is butter braised, fired up and topped with a beautiful, airy onion cream. (Courtesy Chuan Fu)
\nJune<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a Polish boy, so I grew up with cabbage in a multitude of ways growing up,\u201d says June executive chef Jason Campbell. \u201cI just love how much of a multitasker it is. You can braise it, make a soup out of it, make a golumpki or a cabbage roll out of it, do sauerkraut. It\u2019s versatile.\u201d<\/p>\n

At June, it\u2019s a stalk-to-stem dish that makes great use of leftover cabbage from other menu items, brown-butter braised and topped with foamy onion cream.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe give it a heavy, heavy char on the grill first and then we butter braise it with vegetable stock until it\u2019s tender,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Restaurant of the Year: Transformative June dawns new era in Thornton Park dining<\/a><\/p>\n

Once cooled, it\u2019s sliced into thick, long ribbons before getting a cast-iron char and a visit to the grill\u2019s smokebox. Roasted garlic-onion cream dresses the top.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some nice texture. It still has some bite,\u201d Campbell notes. \u201cLots of richness, nicely smoky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Often, he says, similar dishes add smoke via meats like bacon, speck or sausage, but using the grill keeps this offering strictly vegetarian.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd with long pieces that you can sometimes actually twirl.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, yeah. It\u2019s fun, too.<\/p>\n

June: 700 E. Washington St. in Orlando, 321-206-1243; juneorlando.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram\u00a0@amydroo<\/a>\u00a0or on the OSFoodie Instagram account\u00a0@orlando.foodie<\/a>. Email:\u00a0amthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. For more fun, join the\u00a0Let\u2019s Eat, Orlando Facebook group<\/a>\u00a0or follow @fun.things.orlando on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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