Chinese cabbage rolls
Chinese cabbage rolls are a perfect meat dish for dinner. They are made similarly to savoy or head cabbage rolls, except that these are prepared with Chinese cabbage. Stuffing for Chinese cabbage leaves does not contain any rice or groats, it is based mainly on minced meat and breadcrumbs. The stuffing is seasoned with garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. I serve these stuffed cabbage rolls with a simple tomato sauce that does not contain cream.
I start preparing stuffed cabbage by scalding cabbage leaves with boiling water. The leaves then go in a bowl, where they should be left soaking for a few minutes. That will soften them, making them easier to roll up. While the leaves are soaking, I make the meat stuffing. First, I put all the stuffing ingredients in a bowl and knead thoroughly with my hands. Then, I fill the leaves with stuffing, roll them up and fry them in oil on both sides. I add tomato sauce, water, spices and stew until the whole thing is soft. Finally, at the end of stewing, I thicken the sauce with potato flour mixed with water. Normally I’m having these cabbage rolls for dinner but they can also be served for lunch. I encourage you to try the following recipe for Chinese cabbage rolls and I wish you a tasty meal.
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Ingredients for Chinese cabbage rolls.
- 10 big leaves of Chinese cabbage
- 500 g minced pork
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- 1 big clove of garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 egg
- 50 g breadcrumbs
Tomato sauce:
- 150 ml tomato sauce
- 180 ml water
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon of potato starch
Additionally:
- 2 tablespoons of oil
How to make Chinese cabbage rolls.
Put the Chinese cabbage leaves in a bowl, pour boiling water over it, and leave it for 5 minutes. After that time, drain the water, pat the leaves dry and cool them down.
Put the minced meat, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and mashed garlic into a separate bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Place the leaves of Chinese cabbage on the kitchen counter, put a ball of meat filling on each leaf, fold the sides of the leaves towards the center and roll it up. Pour oil into a frying pan, heat it up and put on the stuffed cabbage rolls. Fry the stuffed cabbage on both sides, it should be slightly browned but not burnt. Next, pour the tomato sauce mixed with 150 ml of water, add salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat for about an hour. At the end, pour the potato flour mixed with 30 ml of water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve the cabbage rolls with tomato sauce.
Good to know when making Chinese cabbage rolls.
I use green Chinese cabbage leaves. I make these stuffed cabbage most often from home-grown Chinese cabbage, because it has more green leaves than the one you can buy in shops. Green leaves are softer and also easier to roll. The thick veins from the leaves should be cut out with a sharp knife after the leaves have cooled down. In addition, if the leaves are too long, I shorten them slightly with a knife, cutting off their ends.
Stew the cabbage on a very low heat. Before the end of stewing, I always check with a fork whether the rolls are soft enough.
The Italian seasoning can be replaced with sun-dried tomatoes, Provençal herbs, basil, oregano, and thyme.
Do you like cabbage rolls? If so, try our recipe for Buckwheat and mushroom stuffed cabbage.
