Fat Free No Oil Cabbage Rolls Japanese Style Food

JAPANESE STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.
• Mince the onion. With the knife tip pointing toward the root, thinly slice the onion within ½ inch off the base. Then slice the onion horizontally.
• Then cut perpendicular to the first slices you made. If the onions need to be chopped finer, you can run your knife through them in a rocking motion.
• In a frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat and sauté onion until tender, about 4 to 6 minutes.
• Start boiling 2 QT (2L) water and add 1 tsp salt when boiling. Remove the center core of the cabbage with a knife.
• Completely submerge the whole cabbage and cook the cabbage until the leaves are pliable and started to peel off, about 5 minutes. Using kitchen tongs or a fork, peel off and take out loosen outer cabbage leaves from the pot.
• Soak the cabbage leaves in iced water to stop the cooking process. Remove excess water from them with a salad spinner or pat dry with paper towel. Trim the tough, thick center vein at the base of each leaf (upside-down V shape). Alternatively, you can shave down this thick part. For a beginner cook, I recommend simply cutting it off.
• Chop the thick veins into small pieces, which will be added to the stuffing.
• In a large bowl, mix the meat, sautéed onion, and the chopped vein parts of the cabbage with your clean hands or a rubber spatula.
• Add 1 egg, ⅓ cup (20 g) panko, 2 Tbsp milk, ½ tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper.
• Mix well until the mixture is sticky and combined. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes (this step is optional; however, it helps to solidify fat, keeps the meat juicy and prevents from drying out, and enhances and traps the umami flavor).
• Try to divide the mixture into 12 equal parts (I roughly divided into 8 first and adjusted the amounts later).
• Put 1 Tbsp of the flour into a fine sieve for dusting. Working with 1 leaf at a time, overlap the bottom of the cabbage leaf where you see the upside-down V-shape. Lightly dust the flour over the cabbage leaf. The flour helps the stuffing stick to the cabbage and acts as a binding agent. Add the stuffing in the center of the bottom part of the cabbage leaf.
• Starting with the stem end, roll the cabbage up tightly, tucking in the sides of the leaf as you roll.
• Use one hand to pull the edge of the leaf and roll the fillings tightly toward the edge.
• Insert a toothpick to seal and secure the edge so the roll doesn't fall apart while cooking (optional). Repeat with the remaining leaves and stuffing.
• What if the cabbage leaf is broken? You can still use it. Use a smaller cabbage leaf to "patch" up and roll the fillings the same way.
• In a large pot (I use 6 ¾ QT oval Dutch oven), heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat and cook 2 bay leaves and minced garlic until fragrant. Then stir in the diced tomatoes.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add 1 Tbsp white wine, ½ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper, and bring it to simmer on medium heat.
• Place the cabbage rolls side by side in rows, seam side down, in the pot. If there are open spaces, stuff the leftover cabbage in the opening so the cabbage rolls won't move around while cooking. Add 1 cup (240 ml) chicken/vegetable broth.
• Place Otoshibuta (drop lid) on top of the cabbage rolls. If you don't have a drop lid or your pot is not round, you can make it with aluminum foil (see the tutorial here). Cover to cook on medium heat. After boiling, lower the heat to medium-low heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add ½ Tbsp (7 g) butter to give it a little shine and more flavor.
• When you are ready to serve, carefully pick up the stuffed cabbage roll with kitchen tongs and put in a serving dish. Remove the toothpick and pour the sauce on top. Garnish with parsley and serve.

CABBAGE ROLLS - JAPANESE STYLE

Steps:

• Heat oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes until some onion pieces start browning around the edges. Turn the heat off and let it cool.
• Trim the thick vein from the core-end of the leaf so that the thickness of the vein becomes similar to the rest of the leaf.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add the cabbage leaves to the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes until the leaves become soft. (note 6)
• Transfer the leaves to a bowl of cold water to cool them down quickly, then pat dry with paper towels.
• Put the cooked onion and the rest of the Filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• Divide the filling into 4 equal portions and shape them into a barrel shape.
• Spread a cabbage leaf on a cooking bench with the core-end pointing to you (note 3) and place one of the fillings in the middle closer to the vein end (see the step-by-step photo in the post).
• From the core-end, roll the leaf up tightly. When the core-end reaches to the other side of the filling covering the filling completely, fold each side of the cabbage leaf over to the centre so that the width of the unrolled cabbage leaf becomes the same as the filling.
• Continue rolling the filling with the leaf until the end. If the side of the roll is sticking out, gently push it in to the centre and shape the roll into a fat log shape.
• Place the cabbage rolls, the end of roll facing down, into a deep medium size frying pan that can snuggly fit the cabbage in.
• Spread the bacon strips over the cabbage rolls. Pour the chicken stock as well as water over them and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
• When it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook for 30-40 minutes with a lid on until the broth reduces to less than half (note 4).
• Transfer the cabbage rolls to serving plates and pour over the broth. Garnish with parsley if using. Serve while hot.

FAT-FREE, NO OIL CABBAGE ROLLS (JAPANESE STYLE)

Steps:

• Soak shiitake mushroom in warm water to softened.
• Wash cabbage leaves.
• Microwave wet cabbage leaves in microwave until wilted.
• Alternatively boil cabbage leaves until wilted.
• Remove veins of cabbage.
• If using soft, silken tofu, freeze for 72 hours or use firm tofu.
• Press the tofu between layers to drain excess water.
• Mash the tofu with a wooden spoon or mash in a food processor/blender.
• Add the egg, salt, soy sauce, and potato starch/cornstarch.
• Mix until well blended.
• Mince the mushroom and add to the tofu mixture.
• Mix until well blended.
• Place equal amount of filling in each cabbage leaf. Make more filling if needed, depending on size of your cabbage leaf.
• Roll tightly secure seams with toothpicks. Make sure to fold in the edges.
• Tie with kampyo if available.
• Mix together 1 tsp soy sauce, 4g potato starch, stock, and sake .
• Cook cabbage rolls in stock over low heat for about 20 minutes.

CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Steam the rice and cabbage head separately. Set the steamed rice aside. Peel off the cabbage leaves to have individual leaves.
• Add chopped onion, oil, bouillon, and the steamed rice to the ground pork meat. Mix together. Season with salt and pepper. Roll the ground pork mixture into golf ball-sized balls. Wrap each pork ball in a cabbage leaf.
• Add carrots and celery into the baking pan (vegetables prevent the cabbage from burning onto the bottom of the pan, and also adds an aroma to the rolls) and arrange the cabbage rolls on top.
• Place the pan into the oven and cook for about 1 1/2 hours. Check if it is thoroughly cooked before removing from the oven.

FAT FREE CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the 1 cup lukewarm milk and the yeast. Add the 1/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the 2 egg whites. Mix well. Cover bowl with kitchen towel and let sit 30 minutes on the counter. Now add the salt and the other 1 1/2 cups flour. Knead dough 5 minutes, adding enough extra flour to keep dough from sticking to counter. Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape, probably 12" by 9". Mix the 1 cup brown sugar with the ground cinnamon and sprinkle over dough, saving a little to sprinkle over top. Roll up dough, lengthwise and cut into approximately 1" slices. Place in greased baking pan. Beat togeather the egg white and the 1 tablespoon skim milk, brush over the tops of cut rolls and sprinkle with the reserved cinnamon/sugar mix. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake the rolls uncovered for 20-25 minutes. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, the 3 tablespoons skim milk and the vanilla. Cool rolls slightly and drizzle icing over.

ASIAN STYLE CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Set up a steamer, add enough water to cover the bottom by an inch or so, and bring it to a boil. Separate the 8 cabbage leaves. Steam the leaves for 5 minutes or just until they are pliable. Cool them under cold water and set aside. Trim the thick core from each leaf.
• Combine the remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Lay each cabbage leaf out onto a work surface. Divide the filling into eight (around 3 tablespoonsa roll) then lay a portion on each leaf.
• To roll, fold one end of the cabbage leaf over the filling. Fold in each side then roll into a log shape.
• Place the cabbage rolls on a plate and chill before cooking. This recipe may be made up to one day ahead to this point.
• To cook the cabbage rolls, place them in a steamer set over, not in, boiling water. Steam them for 15 minutes to thoroughly cook them. Serve them with a soy dipping sauce.