Cabbage rolls filled with meat show up in a lot of cuisines, and this is the Northern Chinese one I grew up eating. Instead of the thick leaves of regular green cabbage, it uses napa cabbage for a sweeter, more tender wrapper around a pork filling.
Napa cabbage is a staple in Northern Chinese kitchens. When I was growing up in Beijing in the early 90s, winter did not bring much variety in fresh vegetables, and my family ate napa cabbage several times a week. My mom made these rolls to change things up so we would not get tired of the same cabbage all winter. She rotated them in alongside her napa cabbage and tofu soup and a few other family favorites.
I steam the rolls instead of braising them, which keeps the leaves intact while the pork stays juicy. The cabbage gives off a lot of liquid as it steams, and I turn that liquid into the base of the finishing sauce with oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and scallion. I absolutely love that from the steam to the sauce, it takes me less than an hour, and it is worth pulling out the steamer for a cold-weather dinner at home. I hope you give it a try this season!
Ingredients
This Chinese cabbage rolls recipe is a winner for busy moms like me. The wrapper and the filling are one shopping trip, and the sauce comes together from pantry bottles I already keep for stir fries.
Napa cabbage: This is the wrapper and part of the filling. I pick leaves big enough to roll but not so big they tear, cut off the thick white bottoms before blanching, and mince half cup of that white part back into the pork for crunch.
Ground pork: I use a fattier grind for the filling so it stays juicy against the sweet cabbage and the savory sauce.
Dried shiitake mushrooms: I rehydrate and then mince these small into the filling for the concentrated umami they bring after a soak.
Filling seasonings: I mix Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger, and a little cornstarch into the pork until the whole thing turns sticky and cohesive.
Sauce: I stir the finishing sauce from oyster sauce, light soy sauce, a touch of dark soy sauce for color, garlic, scallion, and a cornstarch slurry. I keep the slurry flexible because every head of napa cabbage releases a different amount of liquid.
How to Make
Soak the mushrooms: Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Cut off and discard the stems, squeeze the water out of the caps, and mince them.
Blanch the leaves: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green leaf parts and blanch for 20 seconds, until softened. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, drain thoroughly, and set aside to cool.
Mix the filling: Combine the pork, minced shiitake, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and cornstarch. Mix well until the pork turns sticky. Add the minced cabbage whites and mix again.
Place the filling: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling onto the lower part of a leaf, leaving about 1 inch of margin.
Rolling: Roll the leaf up over the pork, tuck and fold both sides in, and keep rolling until it forms a roll.
Get ready to cook: Place it seam side down on a plate that fits your steamer, and arrange the rest without stacking. Steam in two batches if needed.
Steam: I prepare a steamer and bring the water to a boil. Then, steam the rolls for 12 minutes, until cooked through.
Rest and save the liquid: Carefully remove the plate from the steamer. Transfer the rolls to a clean serving plate and let them sit for 2 to 3 minutes to release excess moisture. Pour the liquid from the steaming plate into a medium bowl, then tilt the resting plate and add any pooled liquid to the same bowl.
Season the sauce base: Stir the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce into the reserved liquid until combined. In a separate small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until fully dissolved.
Fry the aromatics: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic and scallion whites and stir a few times to release their fragrance.
Finish the sauce: Pour in the seasoned liquid and cook for 20 seconds. Stir the cornstarch slurry again and slowly pour in half of it while stirring constantly. If the sauce does not thicken, add more slurry until it coats the back of a spoon.
Serve: Pour the sauce over the rolls and garnish with the scallion greens. Serve hot as a main dish.
My Cooking Tips
Use the inner and middle leaves for rolling: They are more flexible and easier to wrap than the big outer leaves, and they are less likely to crack when I fold the sides in.
Save the cabbage whites, do not toss them: After I mince the 1/2 cup for the filling, I keep the leftover whites for a stir fry or a braise later in the week so nothing goes to waste.
Mix the pork until it is sticky: Stirring the filling until it turns tacky and cohesive is what gives it a springy juicy bite and keeps it from falling apart inside the roll.
Do not throw out the steaming liquid: The liquid that pools under the rolls is full of pork and cabbage flavor, and it is the whole base of the finishing sauce. I reserve it and use it to make the sauce, so none of that delicious flavor goes to waste.
Add the slurry in stages: Different heads of napa cabbage give off different amounts of water, so I pour in half the slurry first and only add more if the sauce is still thin. This keeps the sauce glossy instead of gluey.
How to Serve
I bring these to my table as the main dish with a big bowl of steamed rice of course, the sauce spooned over the top and the scallion greens scattered on last. My husband likes to eat the cabbage rolls over rice with plenty of the sauce mix into his rice. And my 2-year-old loves to pick up a whole roll with his hands and snack on it!
For a bigger winter dinner, I put the cabbage rolls in the middle of the table and add a couple of lighter dishes around them. A simple stir-fried green vegetable, such as bok choy or broccoli stir fry, adds freshness and color, while a light soup such as egg drop soup rounds out the meal without making it feel too heavy. Serve everything with steamed rice for a cozy, homestyle Chinese dinner.
Frequently Ask Questions
Can I substitute the pork?
I really recommend a fattier ground pork here because it stays juicy and its flavor works with the sweet cabbage and the savory brown sauce. Ground chicken or turkey will work, but they are leaner and give a drier filling. Ground beef is an option too, though its flavor comes through stronger than pork.
Can I use regular green cabbage instead of napa cabbage?
You can, but napa cabbage is what I use because its leaves are more tender and flexible and taste sweeter and more delicate. Regular green cabbage also needs a longer blanch before the leaves are soft enough to roll.
Can I prep these before guests arrive?
For hosting I will assemble the uncooked rolls and keep them on a plate in the fridge for a few hours ahead. I still steam them the same day so the pork stays juicy, and I only make the sauce and pour it over once everyone is at the table. Prepping the rolls this way means the only thing left to do at dinnertime is steam and sauce.
How do I store these cabbage rolls?
For the best texture I make these fresh, but leftovers keep in the fridge for about 3 days when I store the steamed rolls and the sauce separately. Reheat both briefly in the microwave and pour the sauce over right before serving. I do not recommend freezing them, since the napa cabbage turns watery and loses its structure once it thaws.
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Chinese Cabbage Rolls (白菜卷)
Ingredients
- 16 napa cabbage leaves
Filling
- 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup minced napa cabbage white part
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 scallion , sliced, white and green parts divided
Instructions
- Prepare shiitake mushrooms: Soak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water until turning soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Cut off and discard the stem. Squeeze water out of the cap and mince it.
- Prepare napa cabbage leaves: Select napa cabbage leaves that are not too large, cut off the white part (*Footnote 1). Mince the white part until you get 1/2 cup.
- Cook napa cabbage leaves: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the napa cabbage green part, blanch for 20 seconds, until softened. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop cooking, drain thoroughly and set aside to cool.
- Mix pork filling: Add the pork, minced shiitake mushrooms, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and the cornstarch. Mix well until the ground pork is sticky. Add the 1/2 cup minced napa cabbage white part and mix again.
- Assemble cabbage rolls: To assemble rolls, add about 1 to 2 tablespoons (*Footnote 2) of the pork filling onto the lower bottom of the napa cabbage, leaving about 1” (2.5 cm). Roll the leave up to cover the pork, then tuck and fold both sides, keep rolling up until it forms a roll. Place the roll to a plate that can fit into your steamer, seam side down. Assemble the remaining rolls and place onto the plate without stacking. Steam in two batches if needed.
- Steam cabbage rolls: Prepare a steamer and bring the water to a boil. Steam the napa cabbage rolls for 12 minutes, until cooked through.
- Make the sauce: Make Once done, carefully remove the plate from the steamer. Transfer the cabbage rolls to a clean serving plate and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes to release excess moisture. Meanwhile, pour the liquid from the steaming plate into a medium bowl. Once the cabbage rolls have sat for a few minutes, tilt the plate to pour any pooled liquid into the same medium bowl. Add the oyster sauce, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, stir to combine.
- Make the slurry: Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until dissolved completely.
- Cook the sauce: Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic and scallion white. Stir a few times to release fragrance.
- Finish up the dish: Pour in the mixed sauce, stir and cook for 20 seconds. Mix the cornstarch mixture again and slowly pour half of it (*Footnote 3) into the pan while stirring constantly, if the sauce doesn’t thicken up, mix in more cornstarch slurry until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the sauce over the napa cabbage rolls and garnish with scallion greens. Serve hot as a main dish.
Notes
- You will have extra napa cabbage whites left. You can use it to make stir fried napa cabbage or braised napa cabbage with glass noodles.
- I found the filling size varies a lot depending on the size of your napa cabbage leaves. If you use a bigger head and use the outer leaves, you might be able to fill in 3 tablespoons without any issues. For the inner part, it only holds 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling.
- I made extra slurry here because you will need to adjust the quantity depending on how much liquid the napa cabbage released. I usually only use half of the slurry.
- Gluten-Free adaption: Use tamari to replace both light and dark soy sauce, use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine, and use a gluten-free oyster sauce. The sauce will come out lighter because of the lacking of dark soy sauce, but the flavor of the dish will still be great.
Nutrition
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