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.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 8 savoy cabbage leaves (see note 1)
- 1 long carrot (optional)
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated in water)
- 200 g minced pork/beef/chicken (7oz)
- 1 stalk scallions, finely chopped
- 2 tsp 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 tbsp mushroom water (see note 2)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- 1
Blanch cabbage leaves in boiling water until they begin to wilt (it should take no more than 20 seconds). Drain and set aside.
- 2
Use a vegetable peeler to peel off 8 narrow strips of carrots. Blanch for a few seconds then drain (carrot is purely for an aesthetic reason so it’s optional).
- 3
Squeeze out excess water in shiitakes mushrooms (keep the water in which the mushrooms are soaked for later use). Chop them into tiny pieces.
- 4
Put mushrooms, minced meat and all the seasonings into a bowl. Mix well.
- 5
Place 1/8 of the filling in the middle of a cabbage leaf. Wrap it into a cylinder shape.
- 6
Tie the roll with a strip of carrot (please refer to my tutorial video below). Repeat to finish the rest.
- 7
Place the rolls into a serving plate then put into a steamer. Steam for 10 minutes.
- 8
If you don’t have a steamer, see note 3 for an alternative solution which is also demonstrated in my tutorial video below.
- 9
While waiting for the rolled to cook, mix 3 tablespoons of the mushroom water with oyster sauce and cornstarch. Stir well.
- 10
Heat up the sauce over high heat. Remove as soon as it thickens. Pour it over the rolls. Serve warm.
- 11
You may keep raw, wrapped cabbage rolls in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Extend the steaming time to 12 minutes if just taken out from the fridge.