These napa cabbage rolls are almost like vegan dumplings but without having to make any dough. The stuffings are hearty, savory, and "meaty", wrapped in sweet and juicy napa cabbage leaves that are pan-seared to give them a little golden color and charred flavor, and finally dressed in a shiny, umami, garlicky sauce.
Cabbage rolls are widely loved in many parts of the world - Central, Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe and much of Asia, as well as parts of North Africa. But of course, they're made differently from region to region.
In China, in particular, cabbage rolls are usually made with napa cabbage, as opposed to cannonball cabbage, commonly known as green cabbage. They're then stuffed with minced pork and vegetables and finished by steaming or pan-fring.
To make a vegan version, I used tofu, brown rice, shiitake mushrooms, carrot, and scallions but the combination is highly adaptable. This is a perfect chance to use up any scraps of veggies in your fridge that you've been wanting to clean out! But I'd highly recommend keeping the tofu and brown rice as a base, as they create a very hearty and meaty bite to the rolls and provide plenty of protein.
See the video below for how to prep and wrap the rolls. Also be sure to follow me on Instagram and Tiktok for more daily updates and foodie moments ^^
INGREDIENTS:
14 Napa cabbage leaves
14 oz extra firm tofu 1 cup cooked brown rice 6 oz shiitake mushroom, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 2 scallions, chopped, separate whites and greens
- Trim off the root of the cabbage, carefully take off the leaves one by one;
- Bring a pot of water to boil, blanch the leaves for 1 minute or so until soft and flexible, yet not soggy! Then quickly ran them under cold water to cool down;
- Lay them between two kitchen towls or cheese cloth etc to dry;
- Use your hands to crumble the tofu into the pan, continue to mash and break apart with your spatula, season with tamari/soy sauce, coconut amino, and vinegar, stir and fold to mix everything; - Add in the cooked brown rice, continue to combine and mash with your spatula, till all liquid is gone;
- Stir in the arrowroot powder, mix it in well and continue to stir and fold till a hearty slightly sticky filling is formed, mix in the scallion green parts, season with salt and white pepper to taste, set aside;
- Trim off the hard stem part of each napa cabbage leaf, add about 1 1/2 tablespoon fillings to the bottom of the leaf, roll up until you get to the wider part of the leave, then fold up both sides to the center, and continue to roll all the way up, repeat till all ingredients are used up;
- Clean the frying pan then heat another drizzle of oil, pan-fry the cabbage rolls for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown, do NOT flip too often, let one side crisp up and sear before flip to the other side;
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan, fry off the garlic and scallions with a small drizzle of oil, then carefully pour in the tamari sauce, vinegar, coconut amino, and sugar, bring to a gentle boil;
- Mix the arrowroot powder with the warm water and pour into the pan, stir and heat till thickens to your preferred consistency;
- Transfer all pan-fried cabbage rolls to a plate then pour on the sauce, garnish with sesame seeds and scallion. Enjoy!
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