Stuffed Napa Cabbage Leaves

Inspiration for this recipe came from a few different sources both online and from a cookbook. The cabbage I used was quite large at 3.7 pounds so the outer leaves that I used were big. Make more smaller bundles if you are using a smaller cabbage. I'm writing this up from memory because I didn't take notes while I putting the  dish together but I don't think that precise measurements are necessary.


Dried mushrooms, soaked in hot water* (about 1 ounce, I didn't weigh them)
1 bundle bean thread noodles, soaked in warm water **(noodles are packaged in multiple bundles)
8 large outer leaves of Napa cabbage

2/3 pound ground beef (pork would be good too or ground dark meat turkey)
Peanut oil
About 1 cup chopped onion
1 large stalk celery, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 small carrot, grated
Chopped cilantro, to taste
2 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce (try 1 1/2 T next time, it was a bit salty)

2 cups chicken broth
Lime juice from 1 small Makrut lime (about 1/2 Persian/Mexican lime)
1 tablespoon fish sauce (use less if the broth is salted)
Turbinado sugar
Aji Angelo hot sauce
Chopped cilantro
Sesame oil
Toasted black sesame seeds

Let the bean thread noodles and the dried mushrooms soak while the cabbage leaves are blanched and the filling is prepared.

Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water until just wilted (about 20 to 30 seconds) and refresh in ice water. Drain and set aside.

Drain the mushrooms and chop them. Heat the peanut oil in a small skillet set over medium heat. Sauté the onion and celery until just barely translucent, add the chopped mushrooms to the mix and stir in. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow to cool a bit.

Mix together the ground beef, grated carrot, chopped cilantro, fish sauce and sautéed vegetables. Drain the noodles thoroughly.

Spread the cabbage leaves out on a work surface, inner sides facing up. Divide the noodles evenly between the leaves and then the beef mixture***, place the filling at the thick bottom end of the leaf so that it covers the middle third of the leaf crosswise. Roll the leaves into a packet, starting by rolling from the bottom into a log to completely enclose the filling, then take the empty sides of the leaves and fold them toward the center covering the roll, then finish rolling to make a neat packet.

Heat the broth in a straight sided sauté pan large enough to hold all the rolls snugly (10-inch pan). Add the lime juice and fish sauce then add sugar and hot sauce to taste, it should be tangy and just a little sweet and spicy (or hot if you like it that way). Place the rolls in the pan and bring the broth to a strong simmer. Partially cover the pan and simmer the rolls for about 30 minutes.

To serve, place a couple of rolls in a bowl, add broth, drizzle with a bit of sesame oil, scatter some chopped cilantro over the top, sprinkle with some sesame seeds.

Makes 4 servings.


* Alternatively, use chopped fresh mushrooms and sauté them with the onion and celery.

** Cooked rice would be a good alternative to the noodles, brown rice would be my preference.

*** I don't have room to spread all the leaves out at once so I weigh all of the filling and then figure out how much a single portion is and pull that much out of the total as I fill each roll. My scale shows negative amounts so it shows how much I remove or add to whatever is on the scale.