Steamed Cabbage Rolls

These steamed cabbage rolls can be served as an appetizer or a snack, maybe even as a side accompanying a meal of stir-fry veggies and rice, sort of like Spring Rolls.

The only thing I find difficult about making this dish is to get the outer leaves of the cabbage carefully so it is still whole and in one largish piece to be able to stuff and roll easily.

The cabbage is steamed just long enough to get the right texture so it won't crack or wilt and fall apart when stuffed and rolled up. I love using the red/purple cabbage for this dish if I have it handy, but regular head of crisp green cabbage is fine.

Stuffing is very flexible, as long as it is fairly dry. I went with the ingredients I had handy this time. And, these steamed cabbage rolls can be served with a variety of dipping sauces. Substitute sautéed tempeh instead of garbanzo, or in addition to garbanzo in this recipe.

p.s: Any other edible favorite leaves can be stuffed similarly - like the Collard Green Rolls, or Dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with an exotic rice-based stuffing).

Ingredients
8-10 clean outer leaves of large green or red cabbage, unbroken if possible
salt to taste
water
paper towels or clean kitchen towels to pat the leaves dry before stuffing

Stuffing: ½ cup cooked garbanzo beans, coarsely ground up ¼ cup cooked quinoa or millet 4-6 medium mushrooms, chopped finely 1 small onion, chopped finely 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 tsp freshly grated ginger 1 tsp curry powder or garam masala 1 Tbsp canola oil salt to taste

Dipping Sauce: 4 Tbsp light soy sauce 1-2 Tbsp Sambal Oelek 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds 1 tsp  brown sugar (optional)

Preparation

1. Stuffing: Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the onions, garlic and mushrooms, add the garbanzo and ginger, add the curry powder, adjust salt to taste and cook till well-combined and fairly dry; allow to cool
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the cabbage leaves, cover and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, checking after a couple of minutes to make sure they don't get too mushy; remove from water, drain well and place on towel to dry
3. Stuff each leaf carefully, roll like a burrito or spring roll