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stuffed cabbage rolls 

Steamed cabbage rolls (翡翠包肉)

A tasty filling wrapped with cabbage leaves and served with a delicious sauce, steamed cabbage rolls are pretty, low-carb and very simple to make.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Calories: 234
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 savoy cabbage leaves (see note 1)
  • 1 l ong carrot (optional)
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated in water)
  • 200 g minced pork/beef/chicken (7oz)
  • 1 stalk scallions finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoon light soy sauce (Use gluten-free soy sauce to make the dish gluten-free)
  • 1 pinch Chinese five spice powder
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 1 dash sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoon mushroom water (see note 2)
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Equipment

  • Bamboo steamer
  • Mixing bowl
  • Vegetable peeler 

Method
 

  1. Blanch the cabbage leaves
    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop each savoy cabbage leaf in for 20 seconds until the thick ribs soften and the leaf bends without snapping. Transfer immediately to a plate. Under-blanched leaves crack at the fold point during assembly. Over-blanched leaves turn too soft to hold their shape around the filling.
  2. Make the carrot ribbons (optional)
    Draw a vegetable peeler along the length of the carrot to produce eight thin strips. Drop them into the boiling water for five seconds, then drain. Set aside.
  3. Rehydrate and prep the mushrooms
    Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid, reserve the soaking water in a small bowl, and chop the mushrooms into small pieces.
  4. Mix the cabbage roll stuffing
    Combine the chopped shiitake mushrooms, minced pork, sliced scallion, soy sauce, five spice powder, sugar, and sesame oil in a large bowl. Mix by hand until everything distributes evenly throughout the meat. Hand mixing produces a more cohesive filling than a spoon and avoids overworking the protein.
  5. Assemble the rolls
    Place approximately two tablespoons of filling in the center of each blanched cabbage leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf inward over the filling, then roll from the bottom up into a compact cylinder. Overfilling by even a tablespoon causes the seam to split during steaming. A slightly imperfect roll steams identically to a neat one.
  6. Tie and arrange
    Wrap one carrot strip around the center of each roll and tuck the end under to secure it. Arrange the rolls seam-side down on a heatproof plate that fits inside the steamer.
  7. Steam for 10 minutes
    Place the plate inside the steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam for exactly 10 minutes. This answers the common question of how long to cook stuffed cabbage rolls: ten minutes produces fully cooked pork with a moist, tender texture at this filling size. A full bamboo steamer layer with some spacing between rolls allows adequate steam circulation.
  8. Make the sauce
    While the rolls steam, whisk the reserved shiitake soaking liquid, oyster sauce, and cornstarch together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 60 seconds until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove from heat immediately. Pour over the finished rolls right before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • Cabbage: I use savoy cabbage in this recipe. Napa cabbage also works.
  • Mushrooms: I use dried shiitake mushrooms only. Save every drop of the soaking liquid for the sauce.
  • Meat: I use standard-fat minced pork. Ground turkey works with an extra teaspoon of sesame oil.
  • Soy sauce: I use light soy sauce. Tamari works for a gluten-free version.
  • Oyster sauce: I use standard oyster sauce. Vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce substitutes directly.