1 small head cabbage
110 g (4 oz / ½ cup) butter, cut into
small cubes
2 Tbsp tomato paste, mixed with
4 Tbsp water
55 g (2 oz / ¼ cup) sugar
4 Tbsp vinegar
Filling
200 g (7 oz) minced beef or lamb
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
100 g (3½ oz) tarragon, washed and
finely chopped
50 g (2 oz) basil leaves, washed and
finely chopped
35 g (1 oz) Thai fragrant rice,
washed and soaked in water for
30 minutes
95 g (3½ oz / ½ cup) dried split peas,
washed and soaked in water for
30 minutes
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
Separate cabbage leaves and boil in water until translucent and pliable.
Drain, cool and trim off central stems.
Prepare filling. Put all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well by hand.
Unfurl a cabbage leaf on a clean work surface and put 1 Tbsp filling just
below the centre.
Wrap up tightly: fold lower edge over filling, then fold in left and right
sides and roll up.
Place first cabbage roll in a clean pot. Repeat until ingredients are used up,
packing rolls snugly next to each other.
Sprinkle butter on top and pour tomato paste solution over, then invert
a plate and place on top of cabbage rolls, pressing down lightly.
Add water until plate is half immersed, then cook over very low heat
for about 1½ hours or until all the liquid has been absorbed and filling
is cooked.
Lastly, stir sugar and vinegar into 250 ml (8 fl oz / 1 cup) water and
pour over rolls. Leave for about 30 minutes to allow solution to be fully
absorbed before serving.
Tip: The same filling can be used to stuff other ingredients such as
tomatoes, green capsicums (bell peppers) or aubergines (eggplants/brinjals).
To separate cabbage leaves, first cut
around the stump at the bottom,
about 5-cm (2-in) deep, then remove.
Starting from the hole left behind,
pull leaves apart to separate.
Cut away the hard central stem
of each boiled cabbage leaf. It does
not matter if the leaves tear, simply
double wrap to prevent leaks.
If the base of the pot is fully
covered, and you have more
ingredients, stack rolls on top to
create a second layer. The inverted
plate will hold the rolls in place.
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