Chinese Steamed Cabbage Rolls

If you feel like you aren’t consuming enough veggies… this is your sign to make Chinese steamed cabbage rolls. These cabbage rolls are cozy, juicy, and surprisingly easy to make. It’s filled with a savoury pork filling and served with a flavourful umami mushroom sauce.

what is chinese steamed cabbage rolls?

Chinese steamed cabbage rolls are kinda like dumplings– but wrapped in cabbage instead of dough! It’s a cozy, home-style dish where the soft cabbage leaves are filled with juicy minced pork, shiitake mushrooms, and all the good stuff, then steamed until tender.

It’s healthy, super satisfying, and the mushroom sauce you dip it in is full of umami and flavour.

why you’ll love this recipe

• Healthy but satisfying – This dish is steamed, so it’s light but still hits the spot.
• Super umami – The shiitake mushroom sauce is rich, savoury and full of umami! This sauce honestly goes very well with any type of vegetable dish.
• Simple but flavourful ingredients – It’s easy to make with ingredients you can find in any supermarket or Asian store.

ingredients

• 1 head of Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage)

Pork filling:

• 120g minced pork
• 1/4 cup carrots, diced
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and diced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
• 2 tbsp water

Mushroom sauce:

• 1 cup reserved mushroom water
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sugar

how to make chinese steamed cabbage rolls

1. Rinse dried shiitake mushrooms and soak in hot water for 30 minutes to rehydrate. Once soft, squeeze out the liquid (reserve the soaking water), dice the mushrooms, and set aside.
2. Slice 1.5 inches off the base of the Chinese cabbage (too tough to roll). Dice the trimmed parts, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 20 minutes to draw out moisture. Squeeze out excess water.
3. In a bowl, mix minced pork, diced carrots, diced mushrooms, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, sugar, salt, white pepper, water, and the squeezed cabbage pieces.
4. Blanch whole cabbage leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds until soft. Pat dry with a kitchen towel.
5. To assemble, lay a cabbage leaf flat, place 1 tablespoon of pork filling near the bottom, roll up, then fold in the sides to seal. Repeat for all rolls.
6. Steam rolls on high heat for 8–10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, make the mushroom sauce: combine reserved mushroom water, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a pan over medium-high heat. Stir until thickened and translucent.
8. Serve cabbage rolls topped with the umami mushroom sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

my top tips for making the best chinese steamed cabbage rolls

1. Salt the chopped cabbage bits – Sprinkle salt on the diced cabbage ends to draw out moisture before mixing into the pork. Don’t forget to squeeze out the water!
2. Blanch, don’t overcook – Boil cabbage leaves for just 30 seconds to soften them. They’ll cook more when steamed, so don’t go overboard.
3. Save your mushroom water – Dried shiitake mushrooms are one of my favourite ingredients to use when cooking because it’s full of umami! Use it to flavour your pork filling and as the base for that rich mushroom dipping sauce.
   
   

check out more chinese steamed dishes

• Chinese steamed egg
• Cantonese steamed fish
• Steamed chicken with shiitake mushrooms

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