Connie’s notes
Thai cabbage rolls can be prepared and served in two ways. The filling can be raw or cooked. If using pre-cooked filling, just wrap and dip in spicy sauce. If using raw filling, you may steam the cabbage rolls or cook them in broth. We like to cook them in broth.
Ingredients
- 1 white cabbage
- 12 stalks scallions
Filling
- 400 grams ground pork (14 oz) with at least 20% fat
- 100 grams shrimps shelled, deveined and finely chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped carrot
- ¼ cup finely sliced scallions
- ¼ cup finely chopped shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon rock salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Broth
- 6 cups bone broth
- 2 stalks lemongrass white and light green portion of the stalks only, finely sliced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and lightly pounded
- 1 one-inch knob galangal peeled and sliced
- 2 bird’s eye chilies finely sliced
- fish sauce to taste
To serve
- juice from one to two limes (I used kaffir limes)
- cilantro to garnish
- lime wedges to garnish
Instructions
Prepare the cabbage and scallions
- Place the cabbage on a cutting board.
- Using a small pointed knife, cut around the core in the shape of a cone. Keep going until the core is loose. Pull it out and discard.
- Drop the cabbage into the boiling water, cored side down, and let the water come to a rolling boil once more.
- Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook the cabbage for about 10 minutes.
- Scoop out the cabbage and dump in a bowl of iced water. When cool, place in a strainer, cored side up, and allow to drip for a few minutes.
- Carefully loosen the cabbage leaves to separate.
- Take one cabbage leaf and, using a sharp knife, shave off the thick portion that runs vertically in the middle of the leaf. Be careful not to shave too deep to avoid tearing the cabbage. Do this with all the cabbage leaves.
- The too small ones near the core, you may chop finely and mix into the filling. But that’s entirely optional.
- Plunge the whole scallions in boiling water for a minute then hang on the edge of the strainer where you’re draining the cabbage.
Make the filling
- In a bowl, mix together the ground pork, shrimps, chopped carrot, scallions and shiitake mushrooms with salt and pepper.
Assemble the cabbage rolls
- Lay a trimmed cabbage leaf on your work surface. Position it so that the thicker side is pointing towards you.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of filling near the center.
- Fold the thick side of the cabbage leaf over the filling. Then, fold in the left and right sides. Roll the cabbage leaf away from you to seal in the filling.
- Take one piece of softened scallion and use it to tie the cabbage roll like a parcel.
- Repeat until all the cabbage leaves have been filled and tied.
Cook the cabbage rolls
- Pour the bone broth into a pot. Add the lemongrass, garlic, galangal and chilies. Bring to the boil. Taste. Add fish sauce, as needed.
- Drop the cabbage rolls one by one into the hot broth.
- When the broth begins to simmer, set the heat to low, cover the pan and cook the cabbage rolls in the bone broth for 20 to 30 minutes.
Serve the cabbage rolls
- Scoop out the cabbage rolls and place in soup bowls.
- Strain the broth. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and add more fish sauce, if needed.
- Pour hot broth over the cabbage rolls.
- Garnish the Thai cabbage rolls soup with torn cilantro and lime wedges before serving.
Poqui-poqui
