Cabbage rolls are small rolls of cabbage stuffed with a variety of ingredients including meat, vegetables and rice. This cabbage rolls are made by oil frying a rolled scrumptious mixture made by ground pork, red onion, garlic, spring onion, egg, dried malunggay leaves, oregano powder, pepper and salt in a softened cabbage leaf. This is further topped up with mixture of tomato sause, beef broth, pepper and fish sauce, dried malunggay leaves and oregano powder
CABBAGE ROLLS
Cabbage is one of the most affordable leafy vegetables you can find these days. Aside from being low in calories and super nutritious, cabbage goes well with a lot of dishes whether cooked or raw. Coleslaw was my favorite cabbage dish not until I heard about cabbage rolls.
Cabbage rolls are cabbage which are rolled into individual portions. What really is special about cabbage rolls? These veggie rolls are somewhat similar to our very own lumpia. Instead of lumpia wrappers, the cabbage leaves are used. The filling uses a meat mixture made with a variety of ingredients including beef, vegetables, herbs, spices and aromatics. I was about to recommend this to those who or keto, but I remembered one thing unique in this dish is the rice. Cooked rice is a part of the filling which makes the dish ultra-nutritious. It has its own with protein, carbs, and fiber content in every single bite.
The cabbage rolls do not stop just being rolls. Aside from the nice and sturdy cabbage wrap matching the meaty goodness of the filling, these stuffed rolls are braised in a delicate tomato-based sauce which make them very flavorful.
The origin of cabbage rolls is quite controversial. There is the Polish version which is called Goblaki and the German version which is the Kohlrouladen. Aside from those countries, cabbage rolls are also common to the Central, Northern, Eastern and South-eastern Europe and much of Western Asia, Northern China cuisines. The Japanese has their yoshoku version of this dish.
Since a lot of countries are making their cabbage roll versions, Of course, the Philippines must also have its own entry. I have been serving cabbage rolls for several Chinese New Year celebrations now. One thing I like about cabbage rolls is that they are already in individual serving portions. This Filipino-style cabbage rolls uses ground pork and is braised in our favorite sweet-style tomato sauce. If you want to learn how to make cabbage rolls, stick with this blog and follow the instructions below.
HOW TO MAKE CABBAGE ROLLS
Making cabbage rolls is simple. Make the fillings first before preparing the cabbage leaves.
To make the filling, simply prepare all the needed ingredients and combine them well. You’ve read the instructions right—there’s rice in our filling. It is best to use undercooked rice since it will further be cooked later. When the filling is done, set it aside and it’s time to prepare our wrappers.
As a starter, I also had problems on separating the cabbage leaves. If you will notice, the fresh cabbage leaves are crispy and easily break when you try to remove them from the core. I made a quick research and someone recommends to remove a narrow triangle from the bottom of the cabbage leaf, removing only the thick ridge, before attempting to separate the leaves. This method is proven effective. Use a pairing knife or any small knife to make this process easier.
The outer leaves has less moisture due to being exposed but it is your choice if you want to include them. After you separate the leaves, our next goal is to make them pliable. You can boil or steam the leaves to make them soft. But be careful not to overcook the leaves.
When done, treat the cabbage leaves as a normal wrapper and scoop some filling inside and roll. The last part to prepare is our braising tomato-based sauce. Start by sautéing your aromatics and add the other ingredients one by one until you form a nice and rich sauce. Add the cabbage rolls and simmer them to perfection.
Your cabbage rolls are basically done. So easy, right? You may eat it as it is or use it as an ulam. Enjoy!
Cabbage Rolls Recipe
This Cabbage rolls recipe will show you how to make cabbage rolls in simple way. Just follow the recipe step by step, and you will get most tastiest cabbage rolls you ever had. So try ti now to treat your family and loved ones.
Cabbage Rolls
5
servingsIngredients
1 head cabbage
½ kilo ground pork
1 red onion (minced)
1 white onion (minced)
a bunch of spring onion (chopped)
1 egg
1 cup cooked rice
5 cloves of garlic (minced)
3 tablespoons dried malunggay leaves
2 tablespoons dried oregano powder
200 mL tomato sauce
1 ½ cup beef broth
1 tablespoon butter
pepper to taste
fish sauce to taste
salt to taste
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, red onions, garlic, spring onions, egg, dried malunggay leaves, oregano powder, pepper and salt. Mix until well-combined.
- Add the cooked rice and mix until well-incorporated.
- Remove the cabbage core. Peel the leaves one by one.
- Boil the cabbage leaves for a few minutes until soft and pliable. Do not overcook.
- Lay a cabbage leaf in a clean flat surface. Add a scoop of the filling and roll it into a log. Repeat these steps with the rest of the ingredients.
- Heat some oil in a pan and the butter. Saute the white onions and garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato sauce and beef broth. Season with pepper and fish sauce. Add some dried malunggay leaves and oregano powder. Stir gently to combine.
- Arrange the cabbage rolls in the pan. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 40 minutes.
- Transfer the cabbage rolls in a serving plate and garnish with more malunggay leaves. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
