Braised cabbage rolls. [Photo provided to China Daily]

They are soaked in brine and fermented in huge vats as suancai, the "sour vegetables" that Dongbei (Northeast) cuisine revolves around. This is especially common in Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces.

The yingcai or "hard dishes" of the Northeast are hearty offerings such as thick slices of fatty pork belly stewed with roughly shredded pickled cabbage, or huge pots of sweet potato noodles cooked with more fermented cabbage.

In our Beijing household, traditions die hard, and the pile of cabbages in the yard is slowly reduced by daily soups and stir-fries. I have succeeded in sneaking in carrots and tomatoes to add some color to the winter diet.

The dabaicai cabbage is amazingly versatile.

It can be finely sliced and tossed with vinegar, sesame oil and a pinch of sugar for a crisp and refreshing salad. A bunch of blanched mung-bean noodles provide the tactile contrast. This is especially appreciated deep in winter, when fresh salads are hard to come by.

Cut into chunks and cooked with carrots in a bone-marrow stock, it turns into a tender vegetable stew to please the toothless old lady in the house, and is enjoyed just as much by those with a full set of teeth. Stewed cabbage retains its sweetness and is one of the few leafy vegetables that can withstand long cooking without losing color and taste.