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“Giant Cabbage Roll”
Cabbage roll is a hot appetizer loved by many. There are many ways to prepare cabbage rolls. Hostesses often make them for family dinners and even festive gatherings. Minced meat with rice wrapped in cabbage leaves is the classic version of cabbage rolls. But every hostess adds something of her own to the recipe, making it her signature dish. One option for preparing a festive dish is the “Giant Cabbage Roll” with minced meat, rice, and Napa cabbage. This is an original presentation of a hot appetizer in the form of a roll. Such a cabbage roll will not only decorate the table but also surprise your guests.
Caloric content: 93 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.
Ingredient
- minced meat – 500 g;
- boiled rice – 250 g;
- Napa cabbage – 9-12 leaves;
- onion – 1-2 pcs;
- carrot – 1 pc;
- butter - 20 g;
- salt, black pepper - to taste;
- dried parsley - ½ tsp;
- dried garlic - 1 tsp;
- dried basil - ½ tsp;
- paprika - ½ tsp.
For the sauce:
- canned tomatoes - 400 g;
- tomato paste - 40 g;
- water - 250-300 ml;
- sugar - 1-2 tbsp (to taste);
- dried garlic - ½ tsp;
- salt, black pepper - to taste;
- coriander seeds - ½ tsp;
- dried parsley - ½ tsp;
- paprika - ½ tsp;
- bay leaf - 2-3 pcs;
- dried basil - ½ tsp;
- chili pepper (dried pods) – 1-2 pcs;
- black peppercorns – 6-10 pcs.
Preparation
- For preparing the “Giant”, young cabbage leaves or Napa cabbage are best. The amount depends on the size of the finished cabbage roll, plus three leaves for the “cushion”.
- Blanch the leaves as you would for regular cabbage rolls. Set aside in a bowl to cool.
- For the filling, you can take beef and pork (50/50), or a lean part of pork with a small amount of fat.
- Mince the meat using a convenient method.
- Boil the rice.
- Chop the onion into medium pieces.
- The carrot can be cut into thin strips or grated on a coarse grater.
- Prepare the spices according to the recipe, and a little bit of butter.
- In a pan with vegetable oil, add the onion and carrot. Add a little butter to the vegetables so that the carrot retains its bright color.
- The onion and carrot are ready.
- Mix the minced meat and all the prepared ingredients in a bowl. If the dry spices are too coarse, they can be ground in a mortar. Mix the filling well and taste. It is not recommended to taste raw meat, only consume the product that has undergone heat treatment. For convenience, you can place a little filling on a plate and microwave it for a minute. This way, you can check how the filling will turn out after cooking.
- Let’s start forming the “Giant Cabbage Roll”. Cover a table or flat surface with plastic wrap; if the wrap is narrow, extend it additionally. The wrap sticks together perfectly, and the seam will not be visible at all. Lay out the first row of cabbage leaves on the wrap. They should be overlapping, so the edges overlap with each other. You can take three or four leaves, the size should be estimated according to your baking tray. The first row is ready.
- Also overlapping, lay the second and third rows of cabbage. The hard part of the leaves can be trimmed, otherwise they will make the product tough later on.
- Place all the prepared filling along the edge of the first row of leaves, evenly distributing the filling and staying away from the edges.
- Using the plastic wrap, form a regular roll. Roll tightly so there are no air pockets in the cabbage roll.
- Tuck in the ends of the roll, just like classic cabbage rolls. At this stage, the complexity of preparing the “Giant” is behind us.
- Place chopped cabbage leaves on the bottom of the baking dish; they will act as a kind of cushion for the cabbage roll.
- Place the cabbage roll on top.
- To prevent the cabbage roll from unraveling during cooking, immediately place it in a preheated oven for about ten minutes. During this time, the leaves will dry out and the filling will firm up.
- Prepare the ingredients for the sauce.
- First, we put tomato paste in the pan, after a minute we add tomatoes in their own juice, adding a little water. Sugar, pepper, and salt to taste. We add all the prepared spices. The sauce has boiled, it is ready.
- We take the stuffed cabbage out of the oven, it has compacted well and holds its shape. We add the sauce to the stuffed cabbage, making sure to pour some sauce over the cabbage itself. We send the dish back to the oven.
- In the oven, the stuffed cabbage cooks for up to sixty minutes, at t-185°С. During the cooking process, we pour the sauce over the cabbage two or three times, so the top does not dry out.
- While still hot, we place the stuffed cabbage on a dish, pour sour cream and sauce over it, and serve it at the table.
- You can cut it into portions in advance or in the presence of guests. The cut stuffed cabbage looks very beautiful thanks to the bright carrot.
Prepare "Giant Stuffed Cabbage" with minced meat, rice, and napa cabbage according to this recipe, and another signature dish will appear in your family.
