How to quickly prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls? 3 working ways

Prepared by: Yulia Malchenko

10/12/2015 Cooking time: 2 hours 0 minutes

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Do you like cabbage rolls? Try making them from young cabbage in sauce: this will make them even more tender and piquant.

Boiled cabbage

To prepare leaves for cabbage rolls, you can use one of the oldest and most proven methods, which people used many years ago. To do this you need to first prepare:

How to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls? This question interests many, but the process of separating cabbage leaves is quite simple and for this you should follow these steps:

Peel the cabbage, remove damaged leaves and make several small cuts near the head of cabbage so that the bases of the leaves can be easily separated from the head of cabbage. After this, you need to insert a knife or fork into the center of the head of cabbage so that the process of removing the vegetable from the water causes as few difficulties as possible.
Place a pan of water on the fire and bring to a boil, add salt and only then place the cabbage in it.
The cabbage needs to be boiled for several minutes. How long to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls? It will take about 5-10 minutes to cook the top leaves, but inside, they may not be quite as desired, so after the first layers have been removed, the vegetable should be placed back for another couple of minutes.
Leaves from cabbage must be removed until they are the desired size, since leaves that are too small are not suitable for preparing cabbage rolls.
After all the leaves have been removed, they need to be cooled to make it easier to wrap the filling in them.

This option for preparing cabbage leaves takes a decent amount of time, but they continue to use it today. If you have modern technology in your home, such as a microwave, cabbage roll leaves can be prepared a little faster and easier.

Stuffed cabbage rolls according to all the rules

Preparing cabbage for cabbage rolls involves more than just boiling. Let's find out how to select and process cabbage so that there are no questions about your cabbage rolls - only praise!

Helpful Tips:

When choosing a head of vegetable that will be used for cabbage rolls, look for even, dense vegetables from the garden, without creases or damage. It is desirable that their shape is not round, but slightly flattened. Such heads of cabbage will give you large leaves with a huge thin surface area. But for ideal cabbage rolls you need something else - the flexibility of the leaves. Check how easily the vegetable leaves break. Flexible leaves with a greenish color are an excellent choice for cabbage rolls, but tough white cabbage is not suitable for them at all.
When separating leaves from a head of cabbage, be careful not to damage them. This will be possible without difficulty if you follow this algorithm: using a sharp knife, remove the stalk, grabbing as many coarse stalks as possible, lower the head of cabbage into boiling water with a small addition of vinegar (acid prevents the leaves from tearing), boil the cabbage, then remove from the pan and separate leaves. After cooling, beat off the hard parts of the leaves with a mallet.
Another sure-fire way to soften cabbage and separate the head without tearing the leaves is freezing. Just cut out the stalk, put the vegetable in a plastic bag, tie it and put it in the freezer for two days. Then defrost the cabbage in the refrigerator. After such actions, the cabbage will be surprisingly soft and durable! The only drawback of the method is the time required. But if you are preparing cabbage rolls for the holiday, be sure to do this procedure in advance - then you will save time on wrapping the cabbage rolls, it will be so easy for you!

How to separate cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls: steaming

To prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls, it is also steamed. How to do this, we choose depending on the size of the fork and the steamer (cooker). If forks fit in it, everything is simple.

Remove the stalk. Bring water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler. We place the cabbage at the top. Cover the lid. Let stand for 15-20 minutes and remove.

Let it cool, take it apart and then use it to make cabbage rolls.

Now about if the cabbage does not fit into the steamer. What to do then? Take a large saucepan and boil water in it. We place a colander or sieve over the pan, into which we already place the cabbage forks. Steam for about the same amount of time.

Take your time to disassemble the steamer or structure in case the inner sheets do not come off well. We'll just put it back and hold it for another 5-10 minutes.

How long to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls

Since the secret of cabbage rolls lies in the softness of the cabbage in which the filling is wrapped, you need to properly prepare and cook it for this dish. Cabbage leaves of old cabbage should be disassembled, selected approximately the same size and carefully cut off the hard part of the leaf near the place where it is attached to the stalk. If this is not done, it will be impossible to properly wrap the cabbage rolls and cook them. After this, fold the cabbage leaves into a pan, pour boiling water over them and boil for 10 minutes until they become soft and roll well into the finished cabbage rolls.

Before preparing cabbage rolls, you can only scald young cabbage with boiling water and cut off the thick part at the stem.

Cooking options

Since we have learned how to make preparations for cabbage rolls quickly and easily, it’s time to prepare a delicious dish. By the way, you can cook more cabbage rolls and store semi-finished products in the refrigerator. And when your family wants such a meal, you just need to defrost them and use this recipe, which details how to cook frozen cabbage rolls. Take this idea into your piggy bank and enjoy a delicious and healthy dinner.
And here is a very easy step-by-step recipe with photos of cabbage rolls, which turn out very tender. I learned this recipe from a friend who is a huge fan of this dish and cooks it in various variations. Try my recipe and you will love the finished dish.
If possible, cook cabbage rolls in a slow cooker. Thanks to this miracle technique, you will receive a tender and juicy dish, the products of which have retained almost all of their beneficial properties. It is also very convenient to cook in a slow cooker and use the “Reheat” function. Then you will have a hot lunch or dinner waiting for you at any time.
The recipe for lazy cabbage rolls cooked in a pan on the stove does not lose its popularity. This is a very tasty and nutritious independent meal that is prepared very quickly. This dish will be another reason to eat cabbage, which contains many useful substances.

How to prepare

And even now, when the fork is selected, you must first prepare it correctly, and not immediately pick off the leaves; you should remove the top ones, damaged and too green. Now you need to thoroughly rinse the head of cabbage, first from the stalk side, and then turn the vegetable upside down.

Now you need to place the cabbage on a kitchen towel and let all the excess liquid drain. This process can be skipped if you continue to boil in a saucepan. You can separate cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls using simple methods, many of which are known to housewives from childhood. How to do everything correctly is described below.

With a knife

With a knife you can only disassemble Peking, Savoy and very young white cabbage forks.

Step by step description:

You need to place the prepared fork with the stalk facing up and hold it with your left hand (if the hostess is right-handed).
Now you need to find the fastening of the sheet that is highest and cut it off from the base with a sharp knife.
Separate the cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls, stack them on the table, and then sort them into batches according to size.

All that remains is to soften them in any available way. To do this, they can be blanched in boiling, salted water for no longer than 4 minutes. or steam in the microwave, packing 4-5 pieces. into a thermal bag, leaving a small hole for steam to escape. The first option is more suitable for Savoy cabbage.

The Beijing variety is best understood according to the following description:

The head of cabbage must be cut crosswise into 2 equal parts, then all the leaves must be separated, and the thick “vein” must be removed from those closest to the base.
To soften, simply place them in a large cup and pour boiling water over them after 2 minutes. drain it, immediately place the leaves in cold water to stop the thermal process and preserve their integrity.
You can also simply roll out the removed leaves with a rolling pin without using boiling water.

Some steam the prepared leaves by placing them on the grill of a multicooker or holding them in a double boiler.

By water

Separating cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls using water is only possible if they are fairly straight and not intertwined.

Method No. 1:

The first step is to immediately remove 2-3 leaves from the top, separating them from the base, and then completely cut out the stalk by inserting a long knife at its base and moving it in a circle.
Next, you need to make sure that the leaves are not connected to each other inside and place the head of cabbage in the sink with the indentation facing up, and turn on a fairly strong pressure of cold water.
It is necessary to direct the pressure so that it independently separates the sheet from the main fork. In this case, all movements must be careful, otherwise it will simply break.

Now you need to soften them, and to do this you can put them in boiling water for 2 minutes. or keep in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Method number 2:

For this option, you also need to completely cut out the stalk by inserting a sharp knife near its base to a depth of approximately 2/3 of the diameter of the head of cabbage and draw it in a circle.
Now you should place it in a cup with the indentation facing up and pour boiling water inside. You need to cover the forks with a thermal bag and leave for 2-3 minutes. After the required time, the procedure must be repeated.

In this way, the leaves should be easily removed from the base with your hands, and there will be no need to specially soften them. But if there is a thick “vein” at the base, then it is either cut off, holding the knife strictly horizontal to the table, or it is completely removed. In the latter option, it may be difficult to roll the stuffed product. But if you have experience, then this is not a hindrance.

In boiling water

White cabbage leaves are often separated for cabbage rolls, after boiling the head of cabbage. To some, this method seems very simple, but even here you can make mistakes that will lead to the base of the dish breaking during the folding of the products.

Method No. 1:

You should first remove the top shell of the fork, removing too green, damaged leaves, and inspect whether there are black dots on the vegetable, which indicate the presence of pests.
Now you need to place a large bowl on the stove (ideally, so that the entire head of cabbage fits there), fill it only half with water and bring to a boil. You can add a little salt to the liquid or pour a little vinegar into it so that the removed sheets do not tear when folding with the filling.
From cabbage, you need to remove the stalk and place the vegetable first with the indentation down, hold in this position for 2 minutes.
Next, carefully turn the forks over using a fork and knife, and leave on the stove for another 2 minutes.
Remove the cabbage by sticking a fork into the base, remove the top 2-3 leaves, which have already softened, and place them first in cold water to complete the thermal process, and then on kitchen napkins.

The process must be repeated until the required number of sheets is collected.

Method number 2:

It is a little simpler in that you don’t need to cut out the stalk, but simply level it with a fork. To begin with, you just need to remove the first unnecessary leaves and rinse the head of cabbage under the tap.
Next, you need to boil water, salt it or add vinegar to it, and then immerse the fork with the stem down so that it is at least half hidden.
Leave in this position for 3 minutes, setting the flame to medium, and then turn the cabbage over with gentle movements.
The leaves there are much thinner and you should hold them in boiling water for no more than 2 minutes, stick a fork into the stalk and take the head of cabbage out onto a flat dish.
Now you should hold the cabbage by the cutlery and separate it, cutting 1 leaf at a time from the base with a sharp knife.

Grabbing the vein with a fork, you need to pull it back a little and the leaf itself should fall onto the plate. If this does not happen, you should resort to reheating or separate them with a stream of cold water.

In the microwave

The use of a microwave oven for cutting cabbage leaves began relatively recently. But this method is currently considered one of the easiest, and even inexperienced housewives do not have any particular difficulties with it.

Step by step process:

It is necessary to tear off the top leaves from the cabbage, which are not useful when preparing cabbage rolls, but you should leave those that have a white-green color. This product is denser and will not tear during folding, and the taste does not differ from others.
Now you need to either cut out the stalk completely, or immediately cut the sheets at the base to make it easier to remove them later.
Next, you need to take a flat dish suitable for microwave ovens, pour just a little cold water on the bottom, and place a whole fork on top, stalk down.
You should put the cabbage inside the microwave, turn it on at full power and set the timer for 10 minutes.
Then, very carefully, you need to take out the head of cabbage, trying not to get burned, and place it immediately in the sink under running cold water, making sure to turn it over.
It is necessary to remove the top sheets one by one, helping with a fork, and next time put them in the microwave only, holding the cabbage on plates to drain excess liquid, and keep them in the oven for no more than 5 minutes. at maximum power.

The same can be done faster if you place the head of cabbage in a bag, in which you make 6-8 punctures with a toothpick. But in this form, the cabbage should be kept in the microwave oven at maximum power for only 3 minutes.

A prerequisite is to cool the fork under running cold water after it has been removed from the microwave.

If using the gadget you only need to soften the leaves that have already been separated from the head of cabbage, then you need to do the following:

The leaves must be slightly moistened with running water and, without shaking, placed on a flat plate.
The dishes need to be placed in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. (maximum power), and then immediately plunge into cold water.

Here you can also speed up the process if you first place the leaves in a bag. The rough part of the leaf must be cut off or gently beaten with a kitchen hammer.

In the freezer

Separating cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls, having first frozen the forks, couldn’t be easier. This does not require additional tools, equipment or utensils.

Step-by-step preparation process:

The first step is to immediately prepare the cabbage, and to do this you need to remove the top 2-3 leaves from it and rinse well with running water.
Now you need to get rid of excess liquid by placing the head of cabbage in a colander with the stalk facing down (you can immediately cut it out).
Next, you should put the cabbage in a bag and put it in the freezer overnight.
In the morning, you need to keep the forks at room temperature until completely defrosted and remove the required number of sheets.
In this option, to speed up the process, it is possible to immerse the head of cabbage in hot water and carefully separate the thawed sheets. They just need to be removed from the liquid immediately so that they don’t become sour.

This method makes the sheets soft and elastic, which is so necessary when working with cabbage rolls. And, if there is a thick, hard part left at the base, then you just need to cut it off.

In the oven

The last known method, which helps to easily separate the leaves from the head of cabbage, is not very popular, since if all the steps are not performed correctly, they dry out a little. There are 3 options, and the housewife can choose the one that suits her.

1 way:

You need to remove the top layer of sheets from the head of cabbage, rinse it with cold tap water and let all the liquid drain, placing the forks on a wire rack.
At this time, you need to preheat the oven to 170°C, and put the cabbage there, packing it in a baking bag with the stalk down and making several punctures in it with a toothpick.
In 10 minutes. The forks should be removed from the oven, all soft leaves should be removed and, if there are not enough leaves, repeat the procedure, reducing the time to 5 minutes.

The prepared product must be inspected for the presence of a prominent hard core, which can be cut off from above or beaten with a wooden hammer.

Method 2:

The top “unpresentable” layer should be removed from the head of cabbage, rinsed under the tap and allowed to sit for a while to allow excess liquid to escape.
The oven must be preheated to 180°C, immediately placing a cup of water at the very bottom, and wait for it to boil.
You need to cover the oven rack in the middle with heat-stable film, place the cabbage on it, stalk down, and only now put it in the oven for 10 minutes.
After the allotted time, you need to carefully remove the forks using oven mitts and remove all the leaves that have managed to soften.

If the vein is small, then you can immediately start rolling the cabbage roll. Otherwise, it is better to cut it off.

In a steamer

Due to the small volume of the steamer bowl, a large head of cabbage will not fit there. Therefore, this method of separating sheets is suitable if you need to cook a small amount of cabbage rolls or have time to work with 2 forks at once.

Detailed Guide:

It is necessary to remove the top layer from the cabbage, which is not useful for the dish, inspect it to ensure there are no areas damaged by insects, and rinse under the tap.
Next, you should completely cut out the stalk, making several punctures at its base.
Now you need to pour the required amount of water into the lower bowl of the steamer, filling it only halfway.
Place 1 wire rack in the top pan without a bottom and place the cabbage on it with the hole facing down.
Place it on a bowl of water, which should already be boiling by this time, and close the lid.
In this state, the vegetable should be steamed for at least 10-15 minutes, and then you need to carefully remove it, pick up 1 leaf at a time with a fork and remove it.

The thick part of the veins of the separated cabbage leaves should be cut off, and the filling prepared for cabbage rolls should be wrapped in them.

How to remove leaves from cabbage for cabbage rolls

When the cabbage is not too dense and you understand that you can separate the leaves without boiling the whole head, proceed as follows.

At the base (near the stalk) we cut the topmost leaf and remove it. Then we find the next one and cut and remove it in the same way.

In any case, the cabbage rolls removed for cooking are too hard. They will not be wrapped in the “envelope” as they should. They need to be made softer.

This is also done using boiling water. Boil water in a saucepan. Already a smaller amount than with the first method. Place the leaves in boiling water one at a time for a few seconds and remove.

Ready!

Vegetarian cabbage rolls with gravy

Everyone who is at least a little familiar with cooking knows how to cook meat cabbage rolls. However, cabbage rolls cannot be considered exclusively a meat dish! Diet cabbage rolls with your favorite sauce and delicate aromatic filling are a delicious treat that not only vegetarians and weight watchers like - everyone needs fasting days, and if you eat such delicacies on these days, you will want to have them more often!

Particular attention should be paid to the choice of sauce. If you want to get a low-calorie dish, you can do without gravy at all, but it’s still better to pour cabbage rolls with a moderately fatty mixture with spicy notes. Culinary experts recommend a mixture of sour cream with ketchup or adjika, garlic sauce with mayonnaise, and tomato paste with seasonings.

Ingredients:

head of green cabbage - 1 piece;
carrots – 5 pieces;
onions – 3 medium-sized pieces;
olive oil – 60 ml;
salt – two pinches;
pepper mixture.

Preparation:

Boil the rice.
Finely chop the onion and grate the carrots on a fine grater.
Pour olive oil into a frying pan, heat and fry the vegetables in it until they acquire a characteristic golden color.
Set a quarter of the fried mixture aside, and combine the main amount with rice.
Boil a head of cabbage.
Wash the cabbage well and separate the leaves from the head.
Cut out the tough parts of the leaves.
Select small leaves in which it will be convenient to wrap the filling.
Place a couple of tablespoons of filling in the center of each leaf.
Fold up the underside of the leaf.
Fold the cabbage roll on the other side to form a cone.
Pull up the edges of the leaves - the cabbage rolls should be wrapped tightly.
Place your items in a thick-walled pan.
Pour the chosen sauce over the dish and place in the oven, preheated to 180, for half an hour.
The blueberries will look bright and be filled with a seductive aroma.

Preparing cabbage for boiling

How long to cook cabbage depends on two factors:

how the leaves will be scalded;
maturity period and variety of the selected plant.

A head of cabbage can be boiled whole, but it must be prepared:

First, the top leaves, which are loosely attached to the stalk, are removed from the head.
A thick stalk is cut out with a sharp knife. When removing the core, it is necessary to cut it out so that the leaves become free from the central rod on which they are attached.
The prepared head of cabbage is dipped in cold water and then scalded until the leaves become transparent and soft.

There is another way to prepare cabbage leaves for delicious cabbage rolls. They can be boiled in water separately. To do this, you will have to remove the leaves from the head of cabbage. This is not easy to do, but folk life hacks help you cope.

To remove each leaf individually, you need to choose a loose head. First, the entire stalk is cut out of it. Then a stream of water is directed into the resulting cone-shaped hole. The head must be turned so that the water gets under the first sheet. It will soften and gradually begin to move away, but you will have to very carefully help with your hands.

Advice! You can add a little vinegar to the water for cooking cabbage, then the leaves will not crack when removed from the head. Salt must be added.

Tender cabbage rolls made from fresh cabbage in sour cream

An excellent dish of Russian cuisine is cabbage rolls. Cooking them is interesting and easy, as it might seem at first glance. Your household will be absolutely delighted with fresh cabbage rolls stewed in sour cream.

Cooking time: 90 min.

Cooking time: 30 min.

Servings: 7.

Ingredients:

White cabbage – 1 kg.
Chicken fillet – 250 gr.
Rice – 150 gr.
Ground black pepper - to taste.
Sunflower oil – 20 ml.
Bay leaf – 2 pcs.
Pork shoulder – 300 gr.
Onions – 2 pcs.
Salt - to taste.
Carrot – 60 gr.
Sour cream 15% – 200 ml.

Cooking process:

1. Make cuts on the head of cabbage where the leaves attach to the stalk and lower it into boiling water. Cook it for 7-8 minutes and gradually remove the leaves.

2. Grind chicken and pork through a meat grinder. Add chopped onion and boiled rice to the meat, add salt and season to taste and mix well.

3. Place the filling on the cabbage leaves and wrap them in envelopes.

4. Place the cabbage rolls in a saucepan.

5. Fry onions and carrots in a frying pan. Place the roast on top of the cabbage rolls in the pan.

6. Mix sour cream with 250-300 milliliters of water, pour the resulting mass into a saucepan, add bay leaf. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the cabbage rolls over medium heat for 55-60 minutes.

7. The cabbage rolls turn out tender and flavorful; serve them hot.

Bon appetit!

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How to soften with individual leaves?

Many people love cabbage rolls, but don’t want to cook them. After all, it’s quite a problem to find a huge pan in which a head of cabbage will fit. Then there is a high probability of getting burned when taking it out of the water several times. Therefore, a microwave is suitable for a safe and quick method.

Before preparing cabbage rolls, you need to soften the cabbage.

So, to soften cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave, you need:

Remove damaged leaves from the head of cabbage.
Take a sharp knife, cut the stalk, separate the leaves.
Sprinkle a heat-resistant dish with plain water and place cabbage leaves.
Place in the microwave.
Warm up at maximum temperature for a couple of minutes.
Check the condition of the sheets. If they are too harsh, put them on for the same amount of time.
When the vegetable is completely softened, trim off the thick veins.

Peking for cabbage rolls in the microwave

As you know, cabbage rolls can be prepared, including from Chinese cabbage. However, pekinka leaves also need to be processed, and the microwave greatly simplifies this process.

Ingredients:

Head of Chinese cabbage – 1 pc.
Water

Cooking process:

Step 1. Buy a head of Chinese cabbage, fresh and having a beautiful light green color.

Step 2. Carefully separate the leaves - this is not difficult at all, unlike regular white cabbage.

Step 3: Rinse the cabbage leaves under running water and trim off all the white bottom of each leaf.

Step 4: Take a large microwave-safe dish and place a small portion of Chinese cabbage leaves in it.

Step 5. Place the cabbage dish in the microwave, set to the highest power setting and cook the cabbage leaves for five minutes. During this time, they will become soft and elastic enough to form cabbage rolls.

Step 6. Do the same with the rest of the Chinese cabbage leaves, warming them in small portions, then trim off the tops of the thick veins that are on the leaves.

Step 7. While the next portion of leaves is being prepared, you can wrap the filling in the previous portion. Very convenient and a great time saver!

Alternative ways to prepare leaves for cabbage rolls

Knowing how much cabbage is cooked for cabbage rolls, do not rush to put a pan of water on the stove. You can consider alternative ways to prepare leaves:

In the microwave. The stalk is removed from the head of cabbage. Then the vegetable is placed in a bag and sent to the microwave. The microwave is turned on first for 2-3 minutes, then you need to check the softness of the leaves. Usually 10 minutes is enough to soften even dense forks with hard white leaves.
In the freezer. After removing the stalk, you can put the head of cabbage in the freezer, after wrapping it in cling film or putting it in a bag. After 2 days it will become soft, but you will have to defrost it first. This method is usually used if the date when your favorite cabbage rolls will be prepared is known in advance.

Finally, all the secrets of how long to cook cabbage leaves, without which you can’t make real cabbage rolls, have been revealed. Now you can safely go to the stove to cook a delicious treat with rice and meat or mushrooms and buckwheat in a tender cabbage coat.

A simple and tasty recipe for cabbage rolls with minced chicken in a pan

Stuffed cabbage rolls are such a homey and cozy dish that no one would refuse to eat it every day. Moreover, you can cook cabbage rolls in absolutely any season, but the most tender ones are made from fresh cabbage.

Cooking time: 90 min.

Cooking time: 40 min.

Servings: 8.

Ingredients:

Carrots – 150 gr.
Minced chicken – 700 gr.
Rice – 100 gr.
Tomato paste – 50 ml.
Salt – 20 gr.
Ground black pepper – 3 gr.
Onions – 200 gr.
Tomatoes – 200 gr.
White cabbage – 700 gr.
Water – 700 ml.

Cooking process:

1. Boil the rice until half cooked. In a bowl, mix minced chicken, rice, chopped onion, salt and season the filling to taste.

2. Wash the head of cabbage and place it entirely in the microwave for 10 minutes, after which the leaves will separate well. Make deep cuts near the stalk.

3. Carefully remove the leaves from the cabbage.

4. Place the filling on the cabbage leaves and wrap the cabbage rolls in the shape of envelopes.

5. Do this with all the minced meat and cabbage leaves.

6. Then fry the cabbage rolls on all sides in vegetable oil.

7. Next, fry onions, carrots and tomatoes in a frying pan, add tomato paste.

8. Separately, fry the flour in a dry frying pan until golden brown. Then add it to the pan with the vegetables and stir.

9. After this, pour in boiling water and salt the sauce to taste.

10. When the sauce is ready, add cabbage rolls to it and simmer them over low heat for 40-50 minutes. Finally add the peeled garlic cloves.

11. Serve the cabbage rolls hot with sour cream.

Bon appetit!

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