Delicious cabbage rolls: recipe. Video
Considered a traditionally Russian dish, cabbage rolls actually have a rich and far from European history. Already 2000 years ago, rice was wrapped in cabbage by the Chinese. The Greeks began to add meat to such a dish; the mention of this dates back to 425 BC. The name itself also has a fairly rich history. According to one version, cabbage rolls are named from the German word Kohlblatt, which translates as “cabbage leaf”. However, language researchers have another theory – the name of the dish comes from the Serbo-Croatian word for dumpling.
Cabbage rolls: a classic recipe
Cooking delicious cabbage rolls is not an easy task. After all, you need to take into account a huge number of nuances – from the correct choice of cabbage to the preparation and curling of meat.
To prepare delicious cabbage rolls, you do not need as many products as you think. The basic set includes: – white cabbage – 1 pc .; – minced meat – 1/2 kg; – onion – 1 pc .; – carrots – 2 pcs.; – rice (boiled in advance) – 200 g; – vegetable oil; – tomato paste, sour cream, flour – 1-2 tablespoons each; – spices, garlic, seasonings, herbs, salt.
Alternatively, you can replace white cabbage leaves with Peking cabbage. This will make stuffed cabbage rolls softer and more tender.
The main problem in the process of making stuffed cabbage is the correct separation of cabbage leaves. After all, they must be separated piece by piece from the head of cabbage so that none of them loses its integrity. One of the fastest ways is as follows. Remove the cabbage from the head of cabbage, then put the cabbage in the microwave for 10 minutes. The only thing to consider: with this method of dividing the head of cabbage, the leaves are harsh. The second method belongs to the category of traditional ones. To separate the leaves, put a large pot of water on the fire and boil it. The head of cabbage should be put in water, turning it there regularly. As a result, as the leaves are boiled, they will be quite easily separated from the head of cabbage. Do not pour the broth from the cabbage – it may come in handy further when cooking cabbage rolls. After separating the leaves, do not forget to cut out the tough part of each so that the cabbage is less brittle and more obedient when wrapped.
As for minced meat, you can buy ready-made. Or you can make it yourself by buying meat from trusted suppliers on the market. It is better to twist the meat just before cooking so that it remains fresh and juicy enough. Alternatively, you can use minced meat instead of ground meat. This will make the stuffed cabbage more juicy.
Chopped minced meat, according to eminent chefs, is much better. This is due to the fact that the meat grinder crumples the meat, as a result of which it becomes drier. When preparing minced meat, this problem disappears.
Next, you need to salt and pepper the minced meat, and if you wish, you can add any other spices for meat to it. Some housewives also add finely chopped tough parts of cabbage to the meat, which were previously cut from the leaf. This adds extra juiciness to the dish. It remains only to add rice and mix everything thoroughly.
Now you need to wrap the envelopes. Put the filling on the inside of the sheet, closer to its lower part – just a couple of spoons (don’t try too hard, otherwise it will be problematic to wrap a tight envelope). Then pick up the edges of the sheet inward, covering the meat. Bring the remaining end of the bottom over and close the entire structure with the top of the sheet. If this question causes you great difficulty, you can watch video tutorials on rolling stuffed cabbage rolls, of which there are many on the Internet.
Fry the cabbage rolls in vegetable oil in a skillet until golden brown, then put them in a deep saucepan or cauldron. Put grated carrots and onions between the layers of cabbage rolls, sprinkle with spices, add sour cream and tomato paste, as well as a little flour. Pour everything over with broth from the cabbage. For a more rich broth, add meatballs made from the remaining minced meat to the water. You need to cook cabbage rolls over medium heat for 30-40 minutes. At the end of cooking, reduce the heat to minimum and let the cabbage rolls sweat for another 5 minutes.
What to consider when preparing stuffed cabbage
The traditional recipe is not the ultimate truth. You can always diversify it. Alternatively, you can make vegetarian cabbage rolls, i.e. instead of meat, use a vegetable filling.
For lovers of something hotter, you can add hot spices to the meat, for example, red pepper. As a result, the dish will turn out to be quite spicy.
In order to make the dish more tender and tasty, try to use young fresh cabbage. The leaves will literally melt in your mouth.
Making delicious cabbage rolls is not a problem. The main thing is to find time and desire. And homemade such a dish will definitely be highly appreciated.