As the weather finally starts to cool down a bit, we can look forward to spending time in the kitchen again and working on some comfort foods. This Stuffed Cabbage dish is a great project to tackle this weekend. Like Hambagu and Corn Potage, this is a Japanese homage to a classic westernized dish. It feeds a crowd, it’s tender and juicy, it’s make ahead, and it freezes beautifully; so let’s get into it!

What Makes this Japanese Stuffed Cabbage? It’s All About the Cabbage

This recipe is different from the European style stuffed cabbage that you may have had. It has a lighter feel to it, largely owing to using a more delicate green cabbage. Today we’re using Taiwanese cabbage which may be new to you. I think that one of the reasons why we Americans don’t eat more cabbage is because it’s so coarse and hard to chew. So it’s no surprise that the most common way to eat it is to slather it with a heavy creamy sauce in coleslaw, to mask some of that unpleasantness.

But Taiwanese cabbage is different, really. It looks like a flattened disk and it has leaves that are larger, sweeter, and more tender than the sturdy leaves in regular green cabbage. Raw cabbage is very popular in Japan and it’s often used in salads and as a garnish for fried foods. It’s believed that cabbage helps in the digestion of fatty foods, so you will see copious amounts of it being consumed at Ton Katsu (breaded fried pork) restaurants. You can find Taiwanese cabbage at most Asian grocery stores. Look for a large head because those leaves will make the rolling process much easier.

If you cannot find Taiwanese cabbage, you can use regular green cabbage. The best are large but light heads, which means you will not have densely packed leaves. Peeling off the leaves can be a nightmare if you have a very tight compact ball. Another option is to use napa cabbage, which will yield a slightly different, but incredibly delicious alternative.

Making the Stuffed Cabbage Filling

I start by finely mincing the veggies. It’s really important in any ground meat mixture, whether it’s meatloaf, meatballs, or stuffing, that the veggies be as small as possible. This way they incorporate more easily and fully with the meat and you don’t have chunks of veg falling out of the filling. Plus, it just has a better mouth feel where it tastes like beautifully seasoned meat, and not like a bunch of vegetables thrown in.

Now I know what you’re thinking…I’m just going to whip out the food processor and bang this out in no time. That would be a hard NO! The food processor will chop up your veggies yes, but it will also mash them and you will end up with a wet mess. So actually, now’s the time to whip out your knife and work on those knife skills! It does take a little more time, but you will be well rewarded.

Keep chopping and adding the veggies to a large bowl. Then we add some soy sauce and panko into the mix to give it a decidedly Eastern flair. Give the veggies a thorough mix before adding the meats. I like to add minced bacon because the rich and smoky flavor plus the added fat give the filling a lushness that’s so delicious.

The easiest way to mix everything together is to use your hands. Ground meat is wet and heavy so your hand is the best tool.

When all the little bits of veggies and bacon are thoroughly dispersed through the meat, put the filling aside.

Prep the Cabbage

Once you core the cabbage, pull off the leaves slowly and carefully, loosening them with your fingers first. Once you get to the center and the cabbage is the size of your fist, stop. I usually cut the remaining small head in half and tuck it into my pan with the cabbage rolls.

Stuff the Cabbage

Start by separating the cabbage leaves into two piles, larger and smaller. The meat filling will be wrapped twice, first with the smaller leaf and then with the larger leaf.

Repeat with the rest of the leaves and filling. You should have about a dozen or so rolls when you’re done. (If you have leftover filling and not enough leaves, form it into meatballs and cook along with the stuffed cabbage.) Place the rolls seam side down in a large skillet as you go.

Make the Stuffed Cabbage Sauce

All that’s left to do at this point is to whip up the sauce and cook the stuffed cabbage. This sauce is what I would call brothy. If you’ve had stuffed cabbage before, this will be lighter and probably less sweet than you’re used to tasting. You can use canned tomato puree, diced tomatoes, or whole tomatoes for the sauce-whatever you have on hand is fine.

If using whole or diced tomatoes, first puree them.

As you can see in my photo, I have an extra meatball and the leftover baby cabbage head in the pan. You too should feel free to add any leftovers to cook together.

Cooking this dish is very simple. Cover the pan and bring it to a simmer. Then lower the heat and cook for 40 minutes until the cabbage rolls are tender and the sauce slightly reduced.

This braised dish is so comforting on an autumn evening, you have to try it. Yes, it’s a bit labor intensive but the results are well worth it. Any leftovers freeze beautifully. Let me know what you think of this Japanese style Stuffed Cabbage. Leave a comment and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Stuffed Cabbage

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: serves 4-6 1x
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Japanese

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Ingredients

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• 1 head green cabbage (preferably Taiwanese- pick a large head)
• 1 pound ground beef (bison or lamb are also great options)
• ½ large onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 ribs celery
• 3 slices bacon
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Sauce:

• 1  14 ounce can tomato puree or 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 3 Tablespoons ketchup
• 1 cup chicken stock 
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Peel the onion. Slice it into thin strips and then across the strips into a small dice. Chop the diced onions until they are a fine mince. Add it to a large bowl.
2. Peel the carrots and celery and do the same, mincing them fine, and adding them to the bowl.
3. Add the garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir with a fork to combine.
4. Cut the bacon into very fine strips and again into a fine dice. Add the bacon and the ground beef to the bowl.
5. Using clean hands, combine the ingredients, making sure the veggies are evenly dispersed throughout the mixture.
6. Set aside the meat filling.
7. Using a small paring knife, core the center of the cabbage and discard. Gently loosen the leaves from the base and peel off the leaves until they look too small to use (If the leaves are smaller than the palm of your hand, stop peeling).
8. Set up a bowl with ice water and put it next to the stove. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium high heat. Add 5-6 cabbage leaves to the pot, gently submerging them under the boiling water with tongs or a spatula.
9. Boil the leaves for 2 minutes and then transfer to the ice water for a minute to cool. Remove the leaves from the ice water and drain well.
10. Keep boiling and cooling the cabbage until you have cooked all of the loose leaves.
11. Place the drained cabbage on a cutting board and remove the fibrous center rib by cutting a skinny upside down “V” into the bottom of the cabbage leaf .
12. Sort the cabbage leaves into a pile with smaller cabbage leaves and a pile of bigger cabbage leaves.
13. Scoop a generous ¼ cup (you can also use a measuring cup) of the meat filling onto one of the smaller leaves. Fold the right side of the cabbage leaf over the filling and then fold the other side over the filling, trying to cover as much of the meat filling as you can. Roll to the end of the leaf.
14. Take a bigger leaf and put the wrapped package seam side down. Again fold over one side and then the other, trying to cover the package evenly. Having the entire package double wrapped is ideal.
15. Place the cabbage packet in a large 12” deep skillet, seam side down, and continue making packages. You should yield 12-13. 
16. Combine the tomato puree with the chicken stock, ketchup, sugar, and ground black pepper. Stir to dissolve the sugar. (If using diced tomatoes, empty the can of diced tomatoes, including the juice, and blend them until smooth first). Taste the sauce (canned tomato products and purchased chicken stock can have varying levels of saltiness) and add the salt if needed, adjusting the seasonings to suit your taste. 
17. Pour the sauce over the cabbage packets and tuck in the bay leaf so it’s submerged. 
18. Put a lid over the pan and bring the contents of the pan to a simmer over high heat. 
19. Lower the heat to medium, crack the lid open a little, and simmer for 40 minutes.
20. Transfer the stuffed cabbage to a deep platter with plenty of the sauce. Serve immediately.

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Notes

*If you run out of leaves, you can make meatballs and tuck them into the pan with the cabbage packages. Likewise, the ball of cabbage you have left after pulling off the usable leaves can be cut in half or into quarters if it’s kind of big. Tuck the cabbage into the pan as well and cook together with the packets.

*This dish can be made ahead and reheated the next day. It also freezes well.

Keywords: stuffed cabbage, dinner, beef, bacon, japanese

July and August in Japan (and really almost everywhere) can be incredibly hot and humid. So instead of steaming hot bowls of noodle soups, they turn to cold noodles, including this hiyashi chuka, a vibrantly colorful cold ramen noodle bowl.

Hiyashi Chuka translates to “chilled Chinese”, probably a nod to the ramen noodles, which originated in China. But as far as I know, that’s really all that is Chinese about this dish. It’s one of those dishes that doesn’t really have a set recipe because it is endlessly customizable. And each home makes it a little differently based on taste and what is in the fridge. Eating less meat? Leave out the ham. Don’t love bean sprouts? No problem, throw in your favorite veggie. These bowls can be assembled ahead of time and kept chilled, making Cold Ramen an ideal ending to a long, hot, summer day. Don’t be put off by the lengthy list of steps; this is very simple and straight forward to prepare.

Cold Ramen Sauce

While there may not be hot broth for this summer noodle dish, there is a tangy and umami rich sauce. This is a highly seasoned sauce, which is important because you are topping it on unseasoned noodles and juicy veggies, which tend to leach a lot of water into the dish. You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It’s good for about a week.

Cold Ramen Toppings

The first topping I make is the egg crepes. Start by whisking the eggs. Then prepare a nonstick skillet by pouring in a little oil and then wiping it out with a paper towel. Use this oil soaked paper to season the pan each time before you pour in more egg.

Once the egg crepes are done, the rest of the toppings are very quick to prepare. I blanche the bean sprouts in boiling water for 20 seconds, and then drain them.

Then I cut all the rest of the toppings into long strips. Not only does it look nice, but when you scoop the ramen noodles, all the yummy toppings will be scooped with them too.

Assemble Cold Ramen Noodle Bowls

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Usually they just need 1-2 minutes depending on the thickness of the noodle. It’s important that you loosen and untangle the noodles with your hands before dropping them in the boiling water. Also, make sure you use chopsticks or tongs to continue untangling the noodles so they cook evenly as individual strands.

Once the noodles are cooked, rinse them under cold water to remove excess starch, drain them well, and divide into serving bowls. For whatever reason, ramen noodles are packaged 3 per pack which is why this recipe yields three servings. If you need another serving, buy two packages and freeze any extra noodles. You can defrost the noodles overnight in the fridge when you need them. Do not cook the noodles straight from the freezer as the noodle ball will cook as a lump and you will not be able to get the noodles to untangle.

I like to add fun garnishes like toasted sesame seeds, pickled ginger, Japanese hot mustard, and some sliced scallions.

And I serve it with sauce on the side so that everyone can decide how much they like. Plus, the dark sauce tends to dye everything once it’s poured so the dish has much better wow factor if you serve it un-sauced.

Chill out this weekend and enjoy these Cold Ramen noodles. Then take a moment to rate and comment on the recipe, and show off your bowls by tagging us @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Cold Ramen

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: serves 3
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Japanese

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Ingredients

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Sauce

• ½ cup soy sauce
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 6 Tablespoons rice vinegar (unseasoned)
• 2 Tablespoons roasted sesame oil
• 3 Tablespoons water
• ¼ teaspoon dashi powder (optional)
• 1 Tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp grated or minced ginger 
• 1 large clove garlic minced
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

Toppings:

• 9 large shrimp (I used 21/25 size)
• 2 Persian cucumbers (or ⅓ English cucumber, julienned)
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 8 ounce ham steak or 4 slices ham 
• 6 pieces crabstick (½ cup real crab meat)
• 3 eggs
• Oil for making egg crepe
• Salt 

Noodles and Garnish:

• 3 servings fresh ramen noodles (6 oz or 170 g fresh noodles per person)
• 2 scallions sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds 
• 3 Tablespoons pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga)
• 3 teaspoons Japanese karashi hot mustard

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Instructions

Make the sauce:

1. Combine all the sauce ingredients.
2. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce stays fresh for a week in the fridge.

Make the egg crepe:

1. Crack the eggs into a small bowl with a couple dashes of salt and whisk to scramble them. Set aside.
2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat for several minutes. Pour a tablespoon of oil into the pan. Take a paper towel, crumple it, and then wipe the inside of the pan with the paper. (Leave the oil-soaked paper aside to wipe the pan between each batch).
3. Add 2 Tablespoons of the egg to the pan and swirl it to cover the bottom of the pan. Keep swirling until you don’t have any more liquid egg to swirl. 
4. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the egg for 20 seconds and then take the lid off.
5. Blow onto the egg. (The edge will lift up). Flip the egg with chopsticks or a spatula and cook the other side for another couple of seconds. 
6. Transfer the egg crepe to a plate.
7. Wipe the pan with the oil-soaked paper and continue cooking in the same way until all of the egg is used up and you have a pile of egg crepes. Set the plate aside until the egg is cool enough to handle. Then cut the egg crepe in half, stack the egg halves, and then slice into very thin strips.

Prepare the remaining toppings:

1. Bring 2 ½ cups of water to a boil over high heat.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and the shrimp and stir to combine.
3. Turn off the heat and let the shrimp sit in the hot water for 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and let it cool.
5. Rinse the pot and again fill with water.
6. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and add the beansprouts.
7. Stir the bean sprouts and let them cook for 10-20 seconds.
8. Drain the sprouts into a colander and cool under running water. Drain and set aside.
9. Next we will be cutting all of the toppings into long thin strips which will mimic the shape of the noodles.
10. Slice the cucumber into thin planks and then stack the slices and cut across lengthwise to yield long thin strips. Set aside.
11. Next cut the ham into thin strips. Set aside.
12. Unwrap the crab sticks and then use your hands to gently separate the strands. Set aside.

Prepare the noodles:

1. Open the packages and use your hands to untangle and separate the noodles. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Stir with chopsticks or a pair of tongs to separate the individual strands and to keep them from sticking together. Cook according to package directions (should be about 1-2 minutes).
2. Drain the noodles in a strainer/colander and rinse the noodles under running water to remove excess starch and cool the noodles. Drain the noodles completely and divide the noodles into individual plates/bowls.
3. Place all the toppings attractively on top of the noodles. Use whichever garnishes you like and top your noodles. Serve cold ramen with sauce on the side.

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Notes

*you can make these cold ramen noodle bowls ahead of time. Keep the bowls covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Keywords: cold noodles, noodles, summer, japanese, shrimp, cucumbers, ramen