Cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice is a traditional dish in many Eastern European countries. For me, growing up in Ukraine, it was synonymous with celebration... or anticipation of guests coming from afar. Sometimes, when the season was right, my mother would use whole peppers instead of cabbage leaves, and I would help her mix the stuffing and fold it into the vegetables. The idea was to make a lot of them so that nobody stayed hungry.
A few years ago I recreated the recipe, but with an Asian twist: I added Napa cabbage, a little soy sauce and sesame oil at the end. Just a small change, but so transformative – the taste of my childhood mixed with the taste of my early modeling days in Singapore and China. A delicious alchemy that made me want to finish the whole plate after we finished shooting the video... and then have another, and then another... and some more :)
Ingredients:
8-10 outer leaves of napa cabbage or savoy cabbage
450g (1lb) of beef or pork mince
Season with salt and black pepper
60g (⅓ cup) of uncooked short-grain white rice
1 egg
6 spring onions
1 tablespoonful of fresh ginger
2 tablespoon soy sauce
500ml (2 cups) of chicken stock
Sesame oil (optional)
Kitchen utensils: High-sided ovenproof frying pan with lid or tin foil, chopping board, knife, 2 large bowls, fine grater, colander.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C/360F.
Place 8-10 Napa cabbage leaves in a large bowl and fill with freshly boiled water from the kettle. You will see the green of the leaves lighten and become softer. Leave to soak for a few minutes and then drain.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a bowl, add 450g (1lb) minced meat, 60g (⅓ cup) rice, 1 egg, 6 finely chopped spring onions, 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Mix well with a spoon, spatula or your hands.
Assemble the rolls by placing a spoonful of the meat mixture in the centre of the cabbage leaf, then simply folding the edges to make a wrap. Place the rolls one by one in the pan, pour in 500ml (2 cups) of chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cover with the lid or tin foil and bake in the oven at 180C/360F for 40-45 minutes.
Drizzle with sesame oil, add fresh spring onions if you like and enjoy!
Notes:
Minced meat: You can try this recipe with pork and lamb – any red meat, but watch the fat content - it shouldn't exceed 15%. The rolls are equally good with poultry, chicken or turkey mince, but in this case they might be too dry, so I'd add 1 tablespoon of cream cheese or double cream per 1 lb of mince.
Garnish: Boiled potatoes, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes – most potato dishes would be a perfect and comforting match. Here is my recent recipe for delicious potato cakes, which would be a good and pretty accompaniment to these rolls at the festive table.
Couscous or bulgur, or quinoa with stir-fried vegetables and spices will be equally good. Use a little cooking juice to add flavor to the couscous.
Chicken stock: Use your own homemade chicken/beef/vegetable stock or a good quality one from the shop. But if you can't find one, there are a few alternatives. For one, you can just use hot water with a touch of lemon juice, some extra grated ginger and herbs like thyme or rosemary – almost like tea! If you have one or two dried shiitake mushrooms, you can soak them beforehand and use the soaking liquid instead of the chicken stock. Also, a little dry white wine is never a bad idea when it comes to cooking: mix ½ cup of wine with 1 ½ cups of water and pour over the rolls.
Asian style: If you want to make it Indian, Romanian, German or your own – use the spices in the seasoning according to how you feel! For a more Norman flavor, add some smoked bacon or pancetta to the mince. Why not color things up a bit and grate some fresh turmeric into both the mince and the stock? It also depends a lot on the meat you're using: pork goes well with coriander, lamb with mint, and poultry likes paprika for vibrancy or color and cumin for flavor.
Substitutions:
Napa cabbage: As mentioned in the Ingredients section, you can also use Savoy cabbage. A plain cabbage would also make a great roll: as the leaves are tougher, they would need to be boiled in water a bit before they soften, not much - just 3-4 minutes. I really like Bok choy, and the top part of the leaf would make a good wrapper for smaller rolls – appetizer size... a good idea for finger food!
Rice: Quinoa, bulgur, couscous, millet or farro would be a great and slightly exotic substitute, each adding to the unique texture. Couscous and millet would make the filling softer and almost imperceptible, while bulgur, quinoa and farro would add a nice crunch to the bite.
Egg: If you're allergic, add a tablespoon of flour. The egg acts as a binder and flour is also a good binder.
Spring onions: Substitute fresh coriander, parsley or dill, in case you have an allergy.
This recipe is gluten free!
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