Stuffed rolled cabbage leaves probably aren't the first thing that come to mind when you think about Japanese food - you're more likely to thing Greek or Turkish. But in fact, this dish has quite an interesting history in Japan, having first been introduced as a yoshoku (which means, Western) food back in the late 19th century. Even cabbage itself was only grown in Japan from the same period, which is why the Japanese use the English name, cabbage, pronounced "kabetsu". Nowadays, "kabetsu" is one of the country's most popular vegetables.
In my home, one of the favourite ways to eat these stuffed leaves is with a pork and onion filling. I find that adding some vegetables, in this case, carrot and turnip, to the stock in which they are cooked adds more flavour and makes for a more interesting (not to mention more healthy) meal. If you want to put this recipe through its paces, you can find the written recipe just below and for the Youtube tutorial just click Rolled Cabbage with Pork or scroll to the bottom of the page.
Happy stuffing! Kurumi XXXX.
Why not pair this with another vegetable dish for a really healthy meal? You could try my Edamame Salad here.
Japanese Pork stuffed rolled cabbage
ingredients:
(makes 2 servings)
6 sweetheart cabbage leaves
250g minced pork
120g onion
1/2 large egg, beaten
a pinch of salt & pepper
90g carrot
90g turnip
1.5 tsp bouillon powder
400ml water
6 toothpicks
how to:
fince chop and mince the onion
slice off the thick parts of the cabbage stalks and fincely mince them (the thick parts not the cabbage leaves!)
put the minced pork, onion, minced stalk, egg, salt & pepper in a bowl and mix well
peel and cut the carrot into chunks and do the same with the turnip
blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water for 1 min
divide the meat mixture into 6 portions
place one portion onto a cabbage leaf, then roll & wrap, securing the little parcel with a toothpick
place the 6 cabbage rolls in a frying pan, add the water & the bouillon powder
bring to the boil and simmer over a medium heat for 30 mins with the lid on
your stuffed rolled cabbage leaves are now ready to serve
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