If you love Dim Sum and are a bit of a health nut, you will love these adorable mini cabbage rolls masquerading as Dim Sum, giving a new interpretation to a nostalgic childhood food we have all grown up eating.
1/2rice bowlJuices from the cabbage after steaming
1tspCorn flour
2tbspWaterTo be mixed with cornflour
Garnishing (Optional)
3tbspShrimp Roe (Ebiko)
1SprigSpring Onion
Instructions
PREPARATION METHOD FOR STEAMED CABBAGE ROLLS (40 mins)
Mince the pork coarsely.
Marinate the pork with the marinade ingredients for about 15 minutes.
Soak the wooden fungus for about 20 minutes until it expands and becomes soft.
Wash the wooden fungus thoroughly to remove the sand in between the grooves and cut into small squares.
Wash the water chestnut, using a brush to remove the mud. Remove the skin with a peeler. Then cut the water chestnut into small cubes.
Wash, shell and devein the prawns. Then cut into 3-4 pieces each. See my video on how to devein prawns here.
Wash and cut the spring onion into small pieces.
In a big bowl add in the pork, wooden fungus, water chestnut, prawns and spring onion and mix well.
Crack an egg into the mixture, then mix well until incorporated.
Leave the meat mixture in the fridge for 1/2 hour.
Remove the leaves of the cabbage one by one, being careful to keep each leaf intact.
Blanch the leaves into boiling water for about 1 minutes or until they turn limp.
Remove the leaves and place on a strainer, then run over tap water and drain dry.
Take a big, unbroken leaf and place it on a cutting board. Scoop 2 Tbsp of the meat filling on top and roll it from the top and also fold in the 2 sides and continue to roll till the end of the leaf. Watch video at the end of this post to see a demonstration.
Place the rolls on a stainless plate. Continue to do the same for the other leaves until all the filling is used up. Any excess leaves can be placed under the cabbage rolls to steam.
COOKING METHOD FOR STEAMED CABBAGE ROLLS (30 mins)
In a wok, bring the water to a boil over high heat.
Place the cabbage rolls on the rack and cover with a lid and steam for about 20-25 mins.
Cut the cabbage roll into bite sizes (about 3 to 4 pieces per roll) and transfer onto a serving plate.
In a small pan, heat up 1 Tbsp of oil. Add 1/2 tsp of garlic and fry till aromatic.
Add in the juices from the steamed cabbage roll and simmer over lower heat for 1-2 mins.
In a small bowl, add in the 1 tsp cornflour, 2 tpsp of water and 1 tbsp of oyster sauce and mix well. Pour the mixture into the wok and stir into the juices to thicken. If it is too starchy, add in a little more water.
Arrange the cabbage rolls on a serving plate and garnish with ebiko (prawn roe) and spring onions. Serve hot with the dipping sauce in a separate dish.
Notes
Don't crush or smash the water chestnut, just cut it into tiny squares. Otherwise all the water will ooze out and it will lose its crunchy texture and become powdery.
The outer leaves of the cabbage are easy to remove, but once you reach the middle, it is harder to remove the leaves of the cabbage without them breaking. So what you can do is use a knife to trim off the excess hard stem at the centre of the cabbage. This makes it easier to remove the leaves without breaking them. You can repeat this as often as you need to.
The leaves get smaller as you go along. So you can join smaller leaves to make a larger cabbage roll. Do not throw away the broken leaves, they can be used to patch up the holes by placing them on top of one another so that it form one complete leaf.
When rolling the cabbage, use your fingers to press the filling tightly against the leaf to give firmness to the cabbage roll after steaming.
After mixing the meat with the rest of the ingredients, leave the filling in the fridge for 30 mins to firm up the meat for easy wrapping.