Pork Dumpling Cabbage Rolls

Almost every culture has a dumpling, even if it’s not called “dumplings.” There’s something about those small parcels filled with meats that just scream comfort. The flavors are easily customizable and shareable.

For this recipe, I wanted a lower carb option for pork and cabbage dumplings which I enjoy from time to time. This is a pork and cabbage dumpling made and baked in the sauce, so it soaks up all that flavor. For a veggie lover who also loves dumplings, this was a no brainer for me. These cabbage rolls are so delectable, and with slightly less guilt, I could eat half of them in one sitting.

Notes:

Cabbages – I used napa cabbages. Savoy cabbages or regular cabbages can be used as substitutes. I find that the napa cabbages have a rib on the leaves that can be tough to roll, so blanching helps. I saved all the smaller leaves at the center of the head for the filling since they are too small to use as wrappers.

Freezing the rolls – this recipe yields about 24-26 cabbage rolls, which could be a lot if you are cooking for one or two persons. Place the rolls without sauce on a baking sheet and freeze them, then bag them in a freezer bag. I was able to fit about 10 rolls in an 8×8 aluminum tray and freeze them that way. Bake them from frozen, add a few extra minutes to the baking time. (I do the same thing with regular dough dumplings. Take them straight from frozen into the pan without thawing.) Add sauce and bake.

Steaming – if you do not want to bake these, you can steam them. After they are rolled, place on a steamer tray (over rapid boil) and steam for 15-20 minutes or until the center is done. Prepare the sauce and enjoy. You may want to try my other dumpling sauce (that accompanies my pan-fried dumplings) as this one is made to bake with these cabbage rolls.

Pork Dumpling Cabbage Rolls

Makes: 24-26 cabbage rolls
Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes, including prep and baking time

Filling:
1 lb. (450 g) ground pork
5-6 (18 g) dried shiitake or Chinese black mushroom (1-inch size mushrooms)
1 tablespoon (5 ml) light soy sauce (can use lite or less sodium or thin soy sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3-4 cloves of garlic, about 1 tablespoon minced
2 scallions/ green onions, chopped
1 cup napa cabbage, blanched, squeezed and chopped (used the small inner leaves)

1 large head of napa cabbage – about ~3 lbs. (1.4 kg)

Sauce:
¼ cup (60 ml) low sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons (15 ml) light soy sauce (can use lite or less sodium or thin soy sauce)
1 tablespoon (5 ml) rice vinegar
½ – 1 tablespoon (2.5 – 5 ml) chili oil or chili crisp (optional and to taste)

1. Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 10-15 minutes to rehydrate. Then drain, squeeze out the excess liquid, chop, and set aside. You can let this soak while you work on other preparations.
2. Cut the root end of the napa cabbage. Wash the cabbage. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanche the cabbage leaves in the boiling water for 1.5-2 minutes. Work in batches. Remove the leaves from the boiling water and pat them dry, but don’t worry too much if you can’t get it completely dry. Take the small inner leaves, squeeze out as much liquid as possible and chop about one-cup-worth and set that aside for the filling.
3. To make the filling, combine pork, 1 cup of chopped cabbage, scallions, garlic, light soy sauce, salt, ground black pepper, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Mix well.
4. Preheat the oven to 375℉.
5. Place a tablespoon of the filling on the stem end of a cabbage leaf. Roll the stem end of the cabbage over the filling, fold in the sides and roll making sure that the filling is enveloped in the cabbage leaves. If you have smaller leaves, arrange two leaves slightly overlapping to form a larger leaf. If the leaves are too wet, pat them dry with paper towels.
6. Arrange the cabbage rolls in a baking dish. (I used an 11×7 baking dish that fits about 16 rolls. The extra rolls were frozen for a future meal).
7. Prepare the sauce by combining the broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili oil/crisp (if using). Mix well. Pour sauce mixture over the rolls.
8. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes uncovered. The sauce will be bubbly and internal temperature of the rolls should be 160℉.
9. Remove from oven and enjoy!