Cabbage is truly the renaissance leafy green if there ever was one—Crisp and cooling like the crunchy water that it is, and meaty/hearty when you want it to be. I love cabbage. Growing up we ate a LOT of cabbage with almost every meal. There’s cabbage sauteed with corned beef and potatoes, cabbage in stir-fried noodles, cabbage in meaty soups and stews, and my absolute favorite; cabbage (along with its other Crunchy Water counterparts) as crudités dipped in bottled thousand island or ranch dressing.
In this newsletter, we are going the savory, hearty route: Cabbage rolls stuffed with spicy fried rice on a bed of stewed canned tomatoes.
Is it labor intensive? Yes.
Is it extremely fun, and thrilling and worth the effort? A resounding YES!!!
(Cabbage word count at this point: 11)
SPICY CABBAGE ROLLS AND TOMATO STEW
(Serves 3-4)
Depending on what kind of staples you have on hand, everything you need in this recipe could be found existing in your pantry. Your rice stuffing may come from yesterday’s leftover rice. The tomato stew comes straight out of the can. Salvaging any wilting herbs and alliums, highly encouraged. Amazing!!! This cabbage roll recipe doesn’t have any meat or protein, but feel free to raid your fridge for that 3-day-old rotisserie chicken and throw it in! This is an exercise on sustainability—No leftovers left behind.
SOME TUNES TO COOK TO:
Made you a fun little playlist for your cabbage roll-making pleasure:
INGREDIENTS:
2-3 servings of cold, leftover rice
half a head of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion/ shallot, chopped
3 stalks onion leeks, sliced
2 inches grated ginger
3 large tomatoes
6 bird’s eye chilis, chopped (adjust or omit depending on your spice tolerance)
2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp cumin
zest from 1 whole lemon and its juice
1 bunch of cilantro
1-2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
sumac (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium cabbage
TOMATO STEW:
1 can of crushed or whole tomatoes
3 or more cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
chili flakes or chopped chilis
salt & pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Beginning with fried rice, sauté the garlic, ginger, half of the chopped onion, half of the chopped tomatoes, cumin, and all of the chili in hot oil until fragrant. Season with a bit of salt. In a separate bowl, fluff your leftover rice with your hands. Careful not to mash and squish the grains together, that is the opposite of our goal. A good trick is to wet your hand with water or some oil to avoid the grains from sticking to your fingers. Pour the beaten eggs onto your rice and mix so that all of the grains are coated with the egg.
2. Once your spices and aromatics are fragrant and softened, put the stove on high and add in your rice. Work quickly and toss on high heat, add more oil on the sides of your wok or pan if needed. Add in your soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Taste your fried rice—does it need more salt or soy sauce? Adjust according to your preference then transfer to a bowl and let cool for a bit while you work on your tomato stew.
3. Using the same pot (trying to lessen the dirty dishes as you can probably tell), wipe off any debris from the fried rice. Sauté your garlic, onions, and chili. Add in the cumin and paprika, then your canned tomatoes. Whole canned tomatoes are preferred. Crush it with your hands for a chunky texture play, maybe add a few diced ripe tomatoes too. This is, after all, a stew. Let simmer and reduce while you work on blanching your cabbage.
4. Boil some water in a pot and salt it generously (a few pinches or so if using table/iodized salt, or a heaping tablespoon of sea salt or kosher salt). Taste the water—it should taste like sea water. While it boils, peel the petals of your cabbage gently while making sure there are minimal tears. Once your water is boiling, gently lower your cabbage petals a few at a time and let it wilt in the hot water for 20-30 seconds before pulling out and transferring onto a strainer to drain. You’re looking for tender, pliable cabbage petals that should still be sturdy enough for making rolls with.
Tender and extremely pliable are our operating words here. (Also, enjoy the shadow play.)
5. Check on your tomato stew. Once it’s reduced by almost a half, season it with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 more minutes then set aside.
6. Let’s go back to your cooled fried rice. Add the remaining ingredients: lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining chopped onions and tomatoes, chopped leeks, cilantro, and sumac. Taste the fried rice—it should be bright, spicy, and well-seasoned. If it’s none of those things, don’t be afraid to add more salt or soy, or maybe more lemon juice and herbs. Follow your tastebuds!
Your fried rice can consist of anything you have available! Canned tuna, chickpeas, rotisserie chicken. Hotdogs?? GENIUS.
7. Here comes the fun part, making your rolls! Work with 1-2 cabbage leaves at a time. Start by slicing off the crunchy, thicker middle section of the cabbage—this makes way for easier folding so it doesn’t snap or break your rolls. Add one to two tablespoons of the rice mixture in the center part of your cabbage.
NOTE: Do not overstuff your rolls or you’ll have a hard time closing it.
Tuck the outer and bottom parts of the cabbage inward, fold over the rice securely then roll the filling away from you. Place it on a platter seam side down. Do this repeatedly until you reach the desired roll count.
8. Once you’ve made a few good rolls, it’s time to brown them on a skillet to:
a.) close the seams of your rolls
b.) achieve a nice, charred crust
In a skillet, heat a few tablespoons of any neutral oil. Once hot enough, place your rolls onto the pan seam side down. You have to hear the sizzle! There may be splattering because of the water content of your cabbage, so be careful. Check the bottom of your rolls—did a nice brown crust develop? If yes, time to flip it to sear the other side. You don’t have to do the whole 360, just the tops and bottoms (😉). 1-2 minutes before ready to take off the skillet, spoon a generous serving of the tomato stew onto your plate. Carefully lift off the rolls and serve directly on your tomato stew. Serve with some cilantro or leeks, or even with a dollop of cold sour cream! Eat this while it’s still warm.
(Total Cabbage Word Count: 26)
FILIPINO ARTISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Since you’re here, let’s make this space worthwhile. Below are links to artworks of some Filipino artists who have called on everyone for solidarity:
#StopTheKillings
#JusticeForZaraAlvarez
#JusticeForRandyEchanis
#JusticeForAllEJKVictims
The world is never gonna be the same again, but I hope that you all have a roof over your head, and a meal to keep you warm and healthy. If you stick around for a minute, maybe this weekly project can morph into something really special.
- Trisha
these sound so good thanks Trisha <3
I miss you and I love your content!