Steamed cabbage rolls (翡翠包肉)

Name: Steamed cabbage rolls (翡翠包肉)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8 savoy cabbage leaves; 1 long carrot; 4 dried shiitake mushrooms; 200 g minced pork/beef/chicken; 1 stalk scallions, finely chopped; 2 teaspoon light soy sauce; 1 pinch Chinese five spice powder; 1 pinch sugar; 1 dash sesame oil; 3 tablespoon mushroom water; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; ½ teaspoon cornstarch

User Reviews

5.0

237 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings
2 servings
Calories
234 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Chinese

Steamed cabbage rolls (翡翠包肉)

Iris Warren

Report

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.

Share:

I Made This!

177 people made this

Print

47 people printed this

Save this

142 people saved this

Ingredients

Servings

For the wrappers

8 savoy cabbage leaves see note 1
1 long carrot optional

For the filling

4 dried shiitake mushrooms rehydrated in water
200 g minced pork/beef/chicken 7oz
1 stalk scallions, finely chopped
2 teaspoon 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

For the sauce

3 tablespoon mushroom water see note 2
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ teaspoon cornstarch

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Prepare the wrappers

Blanch cabbage leaves in boiling water until they begin to wilt (it should take no more than 20 seconds). Drain and set aside.
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).

Mix the filling

Squeeze out excess water in shiitakes mushrooms (keep the water in which the mushrooms are soaked for later use). Chop them into tiny pieces.
Put mushrooms, minced meat and all the seasonings into a bowl. Mix well.

Assemble the rolls

Place ⅛ of the filling in the middle of a cabbage leaf. Wrap it into a cylinder shape.
Tie the roll with a strip of carrot (please refer to my tutorial video below). Repeat to finish the rest.

Steam the rolls

Place the rolls into a serving plate then put into a steamer. Steam for 10 minutes.
If you don’t have a steamer, see note 3 for an alternative solution which is also demonstrated in my tutorial video below.

Make the sauce

While waiting for the rolled to cook, mix 3 tablespoons of the mushroom water with oyster sauce and cornstarch. Stir well.
Heat up the sauce over high heat. Remove as soon as it thickens. Pour it over the rolls. Serve warm.

Make in advance

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.

Notes

I use savoy cabbage for this dish. The leafy part of Napa cabbage (aka Chinese cabbage) works very well too.
The water in which the shiitake mushrooms are soaked is very aromatic so it adds great umami taste to the sauce. You may also use stock if you wish.
How to steam without a steamer? Put a small bowl in the middle of a large pot/wok. Fill the pot/wok with water (not over the bowl). Then place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Steam the usual way (Please refer to the video above).