Spicy Asian Pork Cabbage Rolls

PREP TIME: 30 MINS | COOK TIME: 50 MINS | TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 20 MINS | YIELD: 6

This is not your usual cabbage rolls. It’s a delicious twist on our traditional favourite. Spicy with either turkey, chicken, beef, or even tofu. And leftover freeze quite well and reheat wonderfully!

Ingredients

SAUCE:

1 ½ c. water

½ can (3 oz.) tomato paste

¼ c. soy sauce

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (or to taste)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

2 tbsp corn starch

CABBAGE AND FILLING:

Oil or non-stick cooking spray

Salt

1 large head green cabbage

1 container (12-oz.) broccoli slaw

1 lb ground pork

1 c. cooked brown rice

1 bunch of scallions, white and light green part only, chopped, divided

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

¼ c. soy sauce

1 large egg

2 tbsp black sesame seeds

How to make Spicy Asian Pork Cabbage Rolls

Step 1: In a small saucepan, whisk the sauce ingredients until the cornstarch has been dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil. Adjust the heat to medium-low once boiling and let it simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Step 2: To a large enough bowl, place 1/4 cup of the sauce. Keep the rest of the sauce aside to cool.

Step 3: Prepare the oven. Preheat it to 400 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with oil or spray and set aside.

Step 4: From the heat of cabbage, remove 12 outer leaves. Be careful no the tear or break the leaves. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add three leaves at a time and cook for about a minute or two until pliable. Once done, place the leaves in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to drain and cool. Or you can just boil the whole cabbage head, removing the leaves as it becomes pliable using a knife.

Step 5: Add the broccoli slaw in the still boiling water. In a colander, immediately drain the broccoli slaw and cool under cold tap water. Make sure not to overcook the broccoli slaw only softened it slightly.

Step 6: In a bowl, combine the broccoli slaw, pork, brown rice, most of the scallions (reserving 2 tbsp for later), garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and egg. Add the reserved sauce, then mix the ingredients well.

Step 7: In an upside-down V-shape, cut the thick vein out of each cabbage leaf. In the middle of each leaf, place 1/12th of the filling. Over the filling, pull the bottom “flaps” up, slightly overlapping them. Then, fold in the sides and roll the leaf up. In the prepared dish, place the roll-ups and pour the rest of the sauce on top. Using aluminium foil, tent the dish. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes until the internal temperature of the rolls reached 165 degrees. Remove from the oven when done and allow the roll-ups to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Step 8: Over the rolls, spoon any sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Enjoy garnished with the reserved 2 tbsp scallions and sesame seeds.

Note:

Broccoli slaw is shredded broccoli stems, cabbage, and carrots typically found in the prepped vegetable section.

Nutrition Facts: