How to make cabbage rolls

This recipe serves about 3 to 4 people, takes approximately 50 minutes to prepare, and provides around 1,116 calories in total.

Ingredients

- 1 cabbage

- 400 grams of ground pork

- 3 tomatoes

- 3 shallots

- A small piece of ginger

- 1 bunch of scallions

- Spices: fish sauce, salt, stock powder, pepper

- Cooking oil

Instructions

1. Preparation

Firstly, blanch the cabbage. You can choose from two methods:

Method 1:

- Begin by cutting out the hard core of the cabbage using a sharp knife.

- Submerge the whole cabbage in a pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt and a few slices of ginger.

- Blanch for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to cold water to cool.

- Finally, separate the leaves.

Method 2:

- Carefully separate each leaf of the cabbage and blanch them individually.

- After blanching, remove any tough stems from the leaves.

Blanched cabbages and scallions exhibit a deeper green hue compared to their original color. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Split the scallions into two portions, blanch one portion briefly, then cool it in cold water, drain, and use for tying the rolls later.

- Finely chop shallots and the remaining scallions.

- In a bowl, combine ground pork with chopped scallions, half of the chopped shallots, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Mix well.

Chopped scallions should be dried before being added to the meat mixture. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Cut a cross on the tomatoes, then blanch them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes.

- Peel off the skin, and finely chop.

Tomatoes chopped into small pieces. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Place each cabbage leaf flat on a surface.

- Spoon the meat filling into the center, fold, and roll like a spring roll.

- Secure with blanched spring onions. Repeat until all cabbage leaves are used.

Securing the rolls with blanched scallions adds a colorful touch to the dish. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

2. Cooking process

- Steam the cabbage rolls in a pot for about 15-20 minutes until cooked. Alternatively, you can fry or bake them.

Cabbage rolls are neatly arranged in a pot for steaming. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- In a pan, fry the remaining chopped shallots.

- Add tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and fish sauce to soften quickly.

- For a thicker sauce, mix one tablespoon of tapioca starch with water until smooth, then add to the tomato mixture.

When tomatoes are cooked, they will release liquid as they soften. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Combine the cabbage rolls with the tomato sauce and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, ensuring the cabbage is evenly coated.

- Adjust seasoning with half a teaspoon of fish sauce, half a teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of stock powder to taste.

- Turn off the heat, garnish with pepper and scallions, and serve hot with white rice.

Simmered cabbage rolls take on a more yellowish hue due to the tomato sauce coating. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

3. Final product

- The cabbage is tender with a savory flavor, complemented by the sweet and sour tomato sauce, making it an ideal pairing with rice, especially on chilly days.

Adding herbs as a garnish to the dish can improve its scent. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy