Chinese Cabbage Roll Recipe: Steamed Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage roll is a filling and healthy Chinese delicacy that most people love. It is also a great way to feed some veggies to your kids, especially those who don’t want to eat vegetables. The meat filling inside the roll turns out tender and juicy. As this is a steamed dish, the amount of oil is also low.
Let me show you the Chinese cabbage roll recipe in detail. Besides the recipe, you will get the nutritional value and secret tips to make the recipe better. Follow the recipe and get praised by your friends or family.
Table of Contents
Chinese Cabbage Roll Recipe Recipe Overview
Check the recipe overview below to find the preparation time, cooking time, serving size, and other information.
| Course: Appetizer | Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Medium | ||
| Total Time: 25 minutes | ||||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories | |
| 2 persons | 15 minutes | 10 minutes | 197 kcal | |
Ingredients Needed for the Recipe
Wondering what you need to make this recipe? Here is the list of ingredients for making cabbage rolls.
- Cabbage: 1 pc of Chinese cabbage
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Oil: 1 tbsp
- Beef: 200g of minced beef
- Chicken Essence: 1 tsp
- Pepper: ½ tsp of black pepper, freshly ground
- Cooking Wine: 1 tsp
- Egg: 1 pc
- Cornstarch: 1 tsp
- Mushroom: 100g of shiitake mushrooms, diced
- Scallion: ½ cup of scallions, chopped
- Light Soy Sauce: 1 tbsp
Chinese Cabbage Roll Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
I have broken the process into simple steps. Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Blanch the Cabbage Leaves
Take one Chinese cabbage and remove the stalk. Separate the leaves carefully so that they don’t break. Boil water in a large pot. Add ½ tsp of salt and ½ tbsp of oil to the water. Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water for two minutes.
You Can Also Try Chinese Red Cabbage Recipe
Then, take the leaves out and put them in cold water.
Step 2: Prepare the Filling
I am using minced beef for the filling. Add ½ tsp of salt, 1 tsp chicken essence, ½ tsp of black pepper, and 1 tsp of cooking wine to the minced meat. Also, add one whole egg and 1 tsp of cornstarch to the meat.
You Can Also Try Taiwanese Cabbage Recipe
Dice up the shiitake mushrooms and add them to the filling. Sprinkle some chopped scallions and mix everything.
Step 3: Make the Rolls
Place one cabbage leaf on the chopping board and put one scoop of filling onto it. Shape the filling like a small log. Fold the leaf from both sides toward the center and then roll the leaf till the end.
You Can Also Try Din Tai Fung Cabbage Recipe
Repeat this step to fill up the remaining leaves with the minced meat filling.
Step 4: Steam the Cabbage Rolls
Boil water in a steamer. Once the water is boiling, place the cabbage rolls onto the steamer and close the lid. Steam the rolls for about 7 minutes.
Step 5: Finish with Oil and Soy Sauce
After removing the rolls from the steamer, garnish with some shredded scallions. Then, drizzle ½ tbsp of hot oil and 1 tbsp of soy sauce over the rolls. Delicious cabbage rolls are now ready.
Nutrition Facts of the Recipe
Cabbage rolls are high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Each serving of these cabbage rolls contains about 197 calories. You will find the nutritional value of this recipe below.
- Total Carbohydrates: 7g
- Protein: 14g
- Total Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 4g
- Total Dietary Fiber: 3g
- Total Sugar: 2g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
- Sodium: 429mg
- Potassium: 113mg
- Calcium: 68mg
- Iron: 0.3mg
- Vitamin A: 120IU
- Vitamin C: 35mg
Do’s and Don’ts of the Recipe
You should keep these secret tips in mind to make your cabbage rolls better.
Do’s
- Choose the size of the cabbage depending on how large or small you want the rolls. Larger cabbages have larger leaves, so you can insert more filling into them.
- Keep the mushroom dice small. Otherwise, they might end up tearing the cabbage leaves.
Don’ts
- Don’t overfill the cabbage leaves. Keep some space so that you can fold the leaves easily.
- Don’t use too much salt in the filling. The soy sauce you use to finish the rolls has a good amount of salt.
Chinese Cabbage Roll Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Take one Chinese cabbage and remove the stalk. Separate the leaves carefully so that they don’t break. Boil water in a large pot. Add ½ tsp of salt and ½ tbsp of oil to the water. Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water for two minutes.
- Then, take the leaves out and put them in cold water.
- I am using minced beef for the filling. Add ½ tsp of salt, 1 tsp chicken essence, ½ tsp of black pepper, and 1 tsp of cooking wine to the minced meat. Also, add one whole egg and 1 tsp of cornstarch to the meat.
- Dice up the shiitake mushrooms and add them to the filling. Sprinkle some chopped scallions and mix everything.
- Place one cabbage leaf on the chopping board and put one scoop of filling onto it. Shape the filling like a small log. Fold the leaf from both sides toward the center and then roll the leaf till the end.
- Repeat this step to fill up the remaining leaves with the minced meat filling.
- Boil water in a steamer. Once the water is boiling, place the cabbage rolls onto the steamer and close the lid. Steam the rolls for about 7 minutes.
- After removing the rolls from the steamer, garnish with some shredded scallions. Then, drizzle ½ tbsp of hot oil and 1 tbsp of soy sauce over the rolls. Delicious cabbage rolls are now ready.
FAQs
While reading the recipe, you might have the following questions in mind. I answered the questions in detail.
Is there a vegetarian or vegan version of this recipe available?
Yes. You can use minced soybean instead of minced beef or pork in this recipe. Soak the soybeans for about eight hours and then mince them. Use the spices and seasonings to prepare the filling.
How do you soften the cabbage leaves before rolling them?
Blanching will soften the cabbage leaves. If they aren’t soft enough or have any tough parts, press those parts with chopsticks. Breaking the stem will help you soften the leaves and roll them easily.
What type of cabbage is typically used for this recipe?
Chinese cabbage is typically used for this recipe because of its crisper texture. You can also use regular cabbages with darker green leaves or Napa cabbages with a sweeter flavor.
How do I keep the color of the cabbage leaves green?
While blanching the cabbage leaves, don’t cover the pot with the lid. Also, don’t blanch the leaves for too long if you want to preserve the green color of the leaves.
Conclusion
Chinese cabbage rolls are easy to make but taste awesome. The savory filling of the cabbage rolls bursts with flavor when you take a bite. The skin of the rolls still holds some texture to give you a soothing mouthfeel. As these rolls are very healthy, you can serve them to kids without any issues.
Make cabbage rolls following this Chinese cabbage roll recipe and see people getting crazy over these delicious rolls. Be prepared to make more and more rolls for them as they will ask for it.
