Most housewives believe that the most difficult thing in preparing cabbage rolls is preparing the cabbage leaves for subsequent filling with minced meat. Regardless of the chosen method, the process is equally lengthy and labor-intensive, and besides, there is always a risk of being scalded by boiling water. But you can also make the leaves for cabbage rolls soft in the microwave, which is much faster and safer than in a saucepan. We'll tell you how to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave in different ways in our article. Here we will present a recipe for delicious homemade cabbage rolls.
How to choose cabbage for cabbage rolls
Choosing the right head of cabbage will help make the labor-intensive process of separating cabbage leaves easier. It is recommended to pay attention to the following:
- To prepare cabbage rolls, choose large heads of cabbage that are slightly flattened on top. Usually the leaves on them are thin, even and can be separated quite well even without scalding.
- There should be no damage or holes on the leaves, otherwise the minced meat will fall out of them.
- Don't forget to cut off or use a kitchen hammer to beat off the dense part of the leaf at the base of the head of cabbage.
Before we tell you how to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave, let's look at the traditional method of separating the leaves. It involves scalding a head of cabbage in a pan of boiling water.
Let's sum it up
As you can see, cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave to soften is prepared quite easily and quickly. This method will significantly save your time.
If you purchased a large vegetable to prepare a meat dish and it does not fit in the microwave oven, then we suggest using the traditional method, which involves using a stove. To do this, the processed and peeled head of cabbage is placed in a large saucepan or iron basin, which is half filled with plain water. In this form, place the vegetable on high heat and wait until the liquid boils. Turning the cabbage the other side down, cook it for about 3-4 minutes. After this, remove the pan from the stove and keep its contents under a closed lid for about ¼ hour. During this time, the entire thickness of the product must be thermally treated, all cabbage leaves will soften.
In the event that this process of preparing vegetables is labor-intensive and time-consuming for you, we suggest using not a white cabbage product, but a Beijing product. As you know, Chinese cabbage has very soft and delicate oval-shaped leaves. Therefore, there is no point in treating them thermally. All you need to do is separate the leaves from the base, rinse them thoroughly in cool water and immediately use them to form homemade semi-finished products.
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How to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in a saucepan
Traditionally, cabbage for stuffed cabbage rolls is boiled in a large saucepan. The dimensions of the container must match the selected head of cabbage so that it fits easily into the pan. Let us remind you how to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls without a microwave, and in what order:
- Pour at least two liters of water into a four-liter saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- From cabbage weighing about 1.5 kg, remove the top and damaged leaves and, if desired, cut out the stalk.
- Place the cabbage in boiling water, let it boil and immediately remove the cabbage from the pan onto a plate.
- Allow the head of cabbage to cool slightly, then unroll the top leaves a little and, turning the head of cabbage over onto the stalk, cut them off at the base.
- After the first scalding, it is possible to remove 3-4 cabbage leaves, after which the head of cabbage is again lowered into a pan of boiling water and all actions are performed in a similar sequence until the required number of leaves can be removed.
Method two. How to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave quickly?
In the event that you do not want to keep the vegetable in the microwave oven for too long so that it does not boil, we suggest using another method of preparing it. The cabbage is also washed and the surface leaves are removed. Next, it is placed on a plate and the product should remain for five to seven minutes (at maximum power).
After time has passed, it is removed and immediately washed with cold water. During this process, the top leaves, which have already softened slightly, are removed from the cabbage. This should be done until you reach tougher leaves.
Cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave is processed several times in this way. After separating the soft leaves, the head of cabbage is again sent to the microwave oven and kept for about three to four minutes.
Similar procedures are carried out until the entire vegetable is disassembled into leaves that are soft and suitable for cabbage rolls.
How to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave: photos and step-by-step instructions
The tedious task of sorting cabbage leaves to prepare cabbage rolls is greatly simplified by the microwave. In this case, the preparation takes several times less time and effort.
How to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave and in what order:
- Prepare the head of cabbage: remove the top and damaged leaves.
- Prepare a five-liter saucepan with cold water, filled to half the capacity of the container.
- Place the cabbage on the stalk in the microwave.
- Set the power to the highest level and operate the microwave for 10 minutes.
- After the specified time, remove the head of cabbage from the microwave and place it in cold water. The top leaves will immediately begin to separate from the cabbage. They will need to be unfolded a little more with your hands and cut off at the base of the head of cabbage. Similarly, you will need to remove all other flexible and elastic leaves. If they are hard, the head of cabbage will need to be microwaved for another 3 minutes, and then continue disassembling the cabbage again.
After disassembling the head of cabbage, you will need to cut off the hard part at the base with a knife or cut it out completely.
How to cook cabbage leaves in the microwave
This method of cutting a head of cabbage is more suitable for young cabbage with tender leaves, which do not need to be cooked at all, since they are already quite elastic. If you are just looking for a way to cook delicious cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave, the proposed option will suit you perfectly.
To begin with, the head of cabbage is cut into leaves, very carefully so as not to damage them. Otherwise, the minced meat will leak through the holes. Each leaf is moistened with a small amount of water and placed in a glass plate or bowl. Then the plate with the stacked leaves is microwaved for 2 minutes at high power. After the specified time, they are taken out, cooled and used to prepare cabbage rolls.
How to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave in a bag
There is another way to cook cabbage in the microwave. Moreover, it is also considered the fastest, since the leaves will become soft and elastic in just 4 minutes.
How to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave quickly using a bag:
- Prepare a bag or sleeve for baking.
- Place a head of cabbage in it. Wrap or tie the bag and poke small holes in it.
- Set the microwave power to the highest setting and cook time for 4 minutes.
- After the specified time, remove the head of cabbage from the microwave and place it under a stream of cold running water.
- Unfold the top leaves and cut them from the stalk at the base.
If the leaves do not seem elastic and flexible enough, you can stack them in a bag, tie it and put it in the microwave again for 2 minutes.
Dry preparation of cabbage leaves
Cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls can be boiled in the microwave even without water. To do this, you will need the vegetable itself and a plastic bag. It is better to choose forks weighing 1-1.5 kg. We start by preparing the whole head of cabbage.
Compound:
- 1 head of white cabbage.
Preparation:
- Let's start by preparing the cabbage fork. Carefully remove the top leaves and rinse the cabbage thoroughly with filtered water.
- Take a plastic bag of such volume that a cabbage fork can fit into it freely.
- Place the head of cabbage in a plastic bag and tie it loosely.
- Place cabbage forks on a glass dish.
- Place the dish in the microwave oven.
- Set the timer for a quarter of an hour.
- We set the power to the maximum - 900 W.
- Using oven mitts, remove the cabbage from the microwave.
- Carefully untie the bag, as the fork is very hot.
- Place the cabbage head on a plate.
- Now carefully cut off the stalk with a knife. You can simply make cuts at the base of the fork with a knife to make the leaves easier to separate.
On a note! Some housewives, after cooking cabbage leaves in a microwave oven, immediately place the cabbage leaves in a bowl of chilled water. And only then they disassemble it.
Recipe for delicious cabbage rolls
To prepare cabbage rolls, you can use the following recipe. All you need is a head of cabbage, about 700 g of minced meat, some cold boiled rice, salt and spices, as well as onions, carrots and tomato paste for frying.
First you need to decide how to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave. The recipe involves using the first method, in which a whole head of cabbage is sent to the microwave at once, and then it is cut into leaves. Then the hard veins on each leaf are removed, a tablespoon of the filling (minced meat with rice) is placed in the center of the leaf, after which it is folded into an envelope. The prepared cabbage rolls are placed in a pan, filled with fried onions, carrots and tomatoes, and water so that it covers them completely. Stuffed cabbage rolls are cooked over low heat for about 1 hour after boiling.
First, we prepare the cabbage by removing the topmost, unusable leaves. Flabby, spoiled, dirty - all out.
Next, as soon as we have dealt with the unnecessary leaves, we take up the stalk. Using a sharp knife, make as deep cuts as possible around the stalk. Our goal is to trim the leaves at the base to make them easier to separate later. To remove or not to remove the stalk is not the point. I'm leaving.
Now we hide the forks in a large bag and tie it tightly (or secure it with a tie if you decide to use a baking bag). Once I tried to do without a bag, so the cabbage also softens, but in the bag (due to the bath effect) the leaves are steamed much better.
And in this form we load the cabbage into the microwave. The baking time for cabbage depends on the size of the fork and the power of your stove. So, for a head of cabbage weighing 1-1.5 kg it takes 10-12 minutes. at maximum power.
The weight of my head of cabbage when peeled from the top leaves is 1.2 kg. Microwave power – 700 W. Baking time – 10 minutes. Remove the softened cabbage from the microwave and, carefully, so as not to burn yourself, untie the bag. As you can see in the photo, the cabbage steamed perfectly during this time.
Now you can let it cool a little naturally, and after 5 minutes you can begin to separate the cabbage leaves one by one. Or place the head of cabbage under cold water for 2-3 minutes, then shake it off the water and you can also disassemble the head of cabbage into leaves. The difference between the methods is only a couple of minutes; which one to use is up to you.
Separate the leaves until they come off effortlessly. If your head of cabbage is large or the microwave is not powerful enough, closer to the middle the leaves may not steam as well and are no longer so easy to remove. In this case, return the cabbage to the bag, tie it and heat it in the microwave at maximum for another 2-3 minutes.
Almost everyone loves homemade cabbage rolls, but most housewives rarely cook them. The reason most often lies in the difficulty of preparing cabbage. After all, it is necessary to make the cabbage leaves soft and flexible, without damaging their structure, when separating them from the head of cabbage. To do this, you have to boil the head of cabbage, constantly checking with a knife how easily the leaves come off, and remove them, risking getting burned. However, this method of preparing cabbage is already outdated, and if you have a microwave oven at home, you can cope with the task faster and easier. Cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave is easy to prepare; even inexperienced cooks have no difficulties with it.
Cooking features
The process of preparing cabbage for cabbage rolls using the microwave is so simple that it does not require any culinary skills. But still, knowing a few subtleties won’t hurt.
- For cabbage rolls, it is better to choose young cabbage with a flattened shape - these varieties have more flexible and soft leaves.
- In order for the leaves to separate well after processing the head of cabbage in the microwave, before placing it in the microwave oven, it is necessary to make several deep cuts around the stalk.
- It will be easier to separate the leaves if you place the head of cabbage under a stream of cool water.
- If the cabbage is young and the leaves come off easily, you can cook the leaves in the microwave. It will take less time than processing a whole head of cabbage.
- If you place the head of cabbage in a bag, the leaves will soften a little faster. This method is worth choosing if you want to save time.
Preparing cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave, whole head or leaves, with or without a bag, varies slightly.
General aspects
Every housewife, without exception, knows that preparing cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls is real flour. You first have to carefully separate the leaves, then boil them until softened, and cut off the veins.
As a result, each leaf should be evenly softened, thin and soft. But at the same time quite elastic and elastic. Otherwise, it will be impossible to wrap the cabbage rolls, and during the stewing process, the cabbage leaves will begin to tear, and the filling will simply fall out to the bottom of the pan.
Many housewives already know how to cook cabbage in the microwave for cabbage rolls and how many minutes this process takes. The duration of heat treatment depends on the functionality of the microwave oven, as well as the size of the cabbage fork.
Preparing cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave is very important. Before placing a head of cabbage in the microwave oven, follow these steps:
- Be sure to remove the top leaves if they are spoiled;
- Rinse the cabbage forks thoroughly with filtered water and dry with paper towels;
- Use a sharp knife to cut out the stalk.
All that’s left to do is to soften the leaves. There are several ways to do this, let's look at each of them in detail.
How to cook cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls
- heads of young cabbage - 1.5–2 kg in total;
- water – 0.2–0.3 l.
Cooking method:
- Wash the cabbage well.
- Carefully disassemble the head of cabbage into leaves, being careful not to disturb their integrity.
- Wet the leaves with water.
- Place a few leaves on a microwave-safe plate.
- Turn the microwave on full power. Set the timer for 3 minutes.
- Take out the plate and remove the leaves from it. Place a new batch and process in the same way.
Continue processing the cabbage in this way until the required number of leaves is collected. Remember that this method is only suitable for young cabbage of early varieties - it will be problematic to separate the leaves from the stalk from a large head of autumn variety without damaging them.
Cooking cabbage in the microwave
- white cabbage – 1.5–2 kg.
Cooking method:
- Wash the cabbage well. It is important that it is sized to fit in the microwave.
- Remove the top leaves - they are usually limp and spoiled by insects.
- Cut the stalk as deep as possible, making several deep cuts around it.
- Place a flat dish in the microwave. Some people can do without it, but it’s easier to wash a dish than a microwave stand, so it’s still advisable to use it.
- Place the head of cabbage on the dish so that the place where the stalk was was located at the bottom.
- Turn on the microwave for 10 minutes, selecting maximum power.
- Careful not to burn yourself, remove the cabbage and place it in a clean sink. Cool under running water.
- Carefully separate the top leaves, using a knife if necessary.
- When you notice that the remaining leaves are tightly attached to the head of cabbage and you risk tearing them by separating them, place the head of cabbage in the microwave again. This time it is enough to turn on the microwave oven for 5 minutes.
- Cool the head again and continue removing the cabbage leaves.
You need to repeat the five-minute microwave treatment of the head of cabbage until you have almost completely disassembled it into leaves. After this, the dense veins will have to be cut out or beaten with a culinary hammer, since they remain hard even after processing in the microwave, which makes it impossible to form cabbage rolls.
Cabbage for cabbage rolls in a bag
- head of cabbage – 1–1.5 kg.
Cooking method:
- Wash the cabbage and remove the wilted leaves. Make deep cuts around the stalk.
- Place the head of cabbage in a bag or in a baking sleeve (the latter option is preferable). Use a toothpick to make several holes to allow steam to escape.
- Place the bag of cabbage in the microwave and turn it on for 3 minutes at maximum power.
- Remove, cool under running water and remove the top leaves. Repeat the procedure several times until the required number of leaves is collected.
Using the same technology, it is advisable to prepare Chinese cabbage for cabbage rolls. This will take less time: 2 minutes. In addition, a single treatment should be enough to soften it.
Cooking cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave is quick and safe. Knowing this method, you will pamper your loved ones with cabbage rolls much more often.
If you can’t cook cabbage rolls on the stove, bake them in the oven, or simply don’t have time, then you can use the microwave.
In it, the dish is prepared simply and quickly; you can use any sauces and gravies, saving time and effort. All this is done much easier than it might seem at first glance.
A simple softening option in a bag
Cooking cabbage in the microwave for cabbage rolls without damaging or tearing the leaves is very easy in a bag.
- Remove soft green and damaged leaves. Remove until clean and intact.
- Cut off the protruding stalk. If it's short, you can leave it.
- Take a long, sharp knife. Making a cut around the stalk will help separate the leaves from the head. You should deepen the knife as far as you can, and cut the leaves only at the base.
- Place the head of cabbage in a bag.
- Select maximum power.
- Microwave for five minutes.
- Get it. Remove the leaves, which come off easily. Use a fork to help.
- Place back into bag. Place in the microwave for the same amount of time.
- When the whole head of cabbage is sorted, collect them in one pile and put them in the microwave.
- Maximum power. Time - five minutes.
- Thanks to this procedure, the leaves will be almost transparent and completely soft. Cool. Trim the veins of each leaf with a knife.
If you can’t cook cabbage rolls on the stove, bake them in the oven, or simply don’t have time, then you can use the microwave.
In it, the dish is prepared simply and quickly; you can use any sauces and gravies, saving time and effort. All this is done much easier than it might seem at first glance.
Stuffed cabbage rolls in the microwave - general cooking principles
All cabbage rolls can be divided into classic and lazy ones. In the first version, the meat filling is wrapped in cabbage leaves. They can also be prepared in a simplified way in the microwave; the detailed recipe is below. For lazy cabbage rolls, all ingredients are mixed, balls or oblong products in the form of cutlets are formed. Regardless of the recipe chosen, cabbage rolls must be placed in a container designed for cooking in the microwave. Next the sauce is added.
What can you do with cabbage rolls:
- sour cream;
- tomato juice, paste, twisted tomatoes;
- a mixture of tomato and sour cream;
- cream.
Additionally, garlic, flour, various spices, mushrooms, cheese, herbs are added, depending on the recipe used. Unlike the classic version of cabbage rolls, little gravy is added here. You can stew rolled cabbage rolls under a lid without any sauce at all, but they will not be as tasty and juicy. The cooking time in a microwave oven ranges from 15 to 20 minutes, the power is set to maximum. If necessary, you can remove the vessel during the process and turn the cabbage rolls over to the other side so that they are evenly soaked in the gravy.
Microwave cabbage rolls in sour cream sauce
A simple recipe for cabbage rolls in the microwave. Cabbage for them is also prepared in a simplified way.
Ingredients:
- 500 g minced meat;
- 120 g dry rice;
- 1 head of cabbage;
- 1 onion;
- spoon of flour;
- 5 spoons of sour cream;
- a couple of cloves of garlic;
- spices, bay.
Preparation
- Take a head of cabbage. We remove the top unusable leaves and cut out the stalk with a sharp knife. Place in the microwave and heat for 5 minutes. We take it out and remove the soft leaves. Next, we put the head of cabbage back into the oven. Warm up for a couple more minutes, and so on, until all the large leaves are removed. Carefully cut out the large core with a knife.
- Boil dry rice. We remove the water.
- Chop a clove of garlic and chop the onion. Mix with minced meat, pepper and salt.
- Combine the remaining clove of sour cream with sour cream, pepper, add salt, and add 3-4 tablespoons of water. Stir the sauce.
- Wrap the filling in the prepared leaves. Forming cabbage rolls.
- Grease a microwave-safe baking dish. Place a layer of cabbage rolls and pour sour cream on top. If there are still cabbage rolls left, then put them on top and also pour the sauce over them.
- Cover and put in the oven. Cook at maximum power for 14 minutes. Remove, turn the cabbage rolls over to the other side, cook for another 5-7 minutes.
Stuffed cabbage rolls in the microwave in tomato-sour cream sauce
A recipe for very tender cabbage rolls in sour cream and tomato sauce. Paste is used here, but you can also use pureed tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- 500 g minced meat;
- 1 tbsp. boiled rice;
- bulb;
- a couple of cloves of garlic;
- cabbage leaves;
- 150 g sour cream;
- 50 g paste;
- 15 g butter;
- 80 ml water.
Preparation
- Combine boiled rice with chopped onion and any minced meat, add salt, pepper, stir thoroughly.
- Cook cabbage leaves in the microwave or boil in boiling water in the usual way. Spread the filling and roll the cabbage rolls into an envelope.
- Chop the garlic, add paste or a couple of grated tomatoes, add sour cream. Stir thoroughly, add a little water. If you used grated tomatoes, you don’t need to dilute the sauce with water. Salt the filling.
- Rub a microwave-safe dish with a piece of butter, arrange the cabbage rolls, and pour in the sauce.
- Cover with a special lid and place in the oven.
- Cook for 17 minutes at highest power. We check readiness. If necessary, additional time can be added.
Lazy cabbage rolls in the microwave (recipe without rice)
This microwave cabbage rolls recipe is different in that you don't need to boil the rice or cook the cabbage leaves. The dish is very simple and quick.
Ingredients:
- 350 g minced meat;
- 350 g cabbage;
- 1 egg;
- onion head;
- 200 ml sour cream;
- 1 tomato;
- garlic, seasonings.
Preparation
- We chop the white cabbage into small strips and rub it with our hands to remove excess volume and make the vegetable easier to work with.
- Chop the onion, add to the cabbage, add the egg and add the minced meat. Thoroughly stir the base for cabbage rolls and add salt.
- Form cabbage rolls into round or oblong cutlets. There is no need to bread them with anything. Place immediately into a microwave-safe dish.
- Cut the tomato in half. Grate the pulp and discard the skin. Mix the tomato with sour cream, season with garlic and spices, mix thoroughly.
- Pour the prepared sauce over the cabbage rolls and cover.
- We put it in the microwave. Cook for 14 to 18 minutes, depending on the size of the products and the type of cabbage.
Microwave cabbage rolls in creamy sauce with mushrooms
A recipe for delicious cabbage rolls with mushrooms that are easy to prepare in the microwave. Small champignons are best suited for this dish.
Ingredients:
- 700 g cabbage rolls;
- 300 ml cream;
- 2 tbsp. l. flour;
- 250 g champignons;
- 25 g sl. oils;
- 50 g cheese;
- hot pepper, salt, garlic.
Preparation
- Prepare cabbage rolls according to any of the recipes or remove the semi-finished product from the freezer. In the second case, there is no need to thaw.
- Wash the champignons, dry them, cut them into two parts. Sprinkle with flour and stir.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, add mushrooms, fry for a minute over high heat.
- Place the cabbage rolls in the form, arrange the fried mushrooms between them.
- Add pepper to the cream, squeeze out a little garlic, add salt. Stir well. Finely grate the cheese and add to the sauce.
- Pour the prepared sauce over the cabbage rolls with mushrooms and even out the layer.
- Place in the microwave. If the cabbage rolls are fresh, then 17 minutes is enough. If the semi-finished products were frozen, then increase the time by 2-3 minutes.
Diet cabbage rolls in the microwave (with chicken)
These cabbage rolls use chicken fillet, but you can use skinless turkey.
Ingredients:
- 500 g chicken fillet;
- 10 cabbage leaves;
- 2 carrots;
- 2 onions;
- 600 ml tomato juice;
- spices, oil.
Preparation
- Cut the onions into cubes, grate the carrots, and mix everything at once. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and stir.
- Place the vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl in which we will cook the cabbage rolls. Place in the oven and cook at maximum power for 6 minutes.
- Place half the vegetables in a bowl, and distribute the rest in an even layer across the bottom of the bowl.
- Chop the chicken fillet into small pieces or twist and process with a food processor. Add previously prepared vegetables, salt, add a little pepper, you can add chopped greens to these cabbage rolls.
- We wrap the dietary filling in pre-prepared white cabbage leaves. Place on top of the vegetable layer.
- Pour in salted tomato juice. If you need a thicker gravy, you can dissolve a teaspoon of flour.
- Place the cabbage rolls in the microwave and cook for fifteen minutes. If necessary, we increase the time.
Lenten cabbage rolls in the microwave
A recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls in the microwave that vegetarians will appreciate. The dish is simple, but tasty and satisfying.
Ingredients:
- 150 g rice;
- 300 g mushrooms;
- 120 g carrots;
- cabbage leaves;
- bulb;
- 200 g mushrooms;
- 500 g tomatoes;
- 30 ml soy sauce;
- greens, garlic.
Preparation
- We wash the dry rice, sort it, boil it, pour it into a colander, and let it cool.
- Chop the onion, put it in a frying pan, fry in a spoon of oil, add grated carrots.
- After a minute, add the chopped mushrooms to the vegetables, cook until half cooked, season with spices, herbs, and cool.
- Add mushrooms and vegetables to the rice and stir. Stuff the cabbage leaves and fold the envelopes carefully.
- Grate the tomatoes, mix with soy sauce, add garlic and herbs, pour over the cabbage rolls.
Put it in the microwave. Lenten cabbage rolls only need 12-15 minutes to get ready. We look at the cabbage leaves. Once they become soft, you can remove the dish from the microwave.
Lazy cabbage rolls in the microwave with cheese
Another recipe for simple, but very juicy and tasty cabbage rolls. You need to choose a cheese that melts well.
Ingredients:
- 300 g minced meat;
- 130 g boiled rice;
- 250 g cabbage;
- 1 egg;
- Spices;
- 1 onion;
- 2 spoons of sour cream;
- 2 large tomatoes;
- 120 g cheese.
Preparation
Mix chopped and mashed cabbage with chopped onion, add rice and minced meat, seasonings, form into round balls. Place the cabbage rolls in a greased form.
Remove the skins from the tomatoes. Cut into pieces and scatter over the pan between the cabbage rolls.
Grate the cheese, combine with sour cream (or use mayonnaise). Spread the resulting mixture evenly over the cabbage rolls.
Place in the microwave for 15 minutes.
- If you get the minced meat without fat, you can add a little softened butter to it or put a piece inside the filling when forming the cabbage roll.
- In the microwave you can cook not only classic cabbage rolls in cabbage leaves, but also dolma. In this case, the minced meat is rolled into tender grape leaves.
- You can put not only boiled rice in the stuffing for cabbage rolls, but also buckwheat and pearl barley, the dish will sparkle with new flavors.
The most difficult step in preparing cabbage rolls is to separate the cabbage leaves from the head of cabbage so that they do not break, but are not too soft. Cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave softens enough to wrap the filling in, but remains elastic. Unlike the standard method of using a pan of boiling water, the microwave completely cooks the leaves and preserves their strength.
Video recipe
Watch how the housewife prepares cabbage leaves in the video below. Make sure for yourself that the process is extremely simple and effortless.
Use a simple, quick way to process cabbage leaves; remove them from the fork without tearing or damaging them. What interesting ways do you know of preparing cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls? Join the discussion in the comments.
With prepared cabbage leaves, you can cook a lot of things in the same microwave. I suggest you try several recipes with delicious photos.
For cabbage rolls, take:
- cabbage leaves;
- 80 g round rice;
- 1 PC. onions;
- 400 g minced meat (can be pork or “assorted”);
- 40 ml vegetable oil;
- 150 g sour cream;
- 180 ml water (for sauce);
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste;
- salt pepper.
Cut the peeled onion into small cubes. Then fry it in oil until golden brown. Boil the rice in salted water until half cooked. Next, we rinse it and tip it into a colander (this is so that all the excess liquid is gone). If you don't want to wash the pots afterwards, cook the rice in the microwave.
Then transfer the minced meat into a bowl. We also send rice and onions there. Mix all the ingredients, add the mixture and season. Then mix everything again.
Soften the cabbage leaves in a micro-cooker in advance. Place 1 tbsp on each sheet. minced meat and wrap it in a roll. Place the cabbage rolls in a glass container for the microwave (you will get several layers).
Prepare the sauce. To do this, mix hot boiled water with pasta and sour cream. Add some salt to the mixture and pour it over the cabbage rolls. Cover the glass container with a lid and put it in the microwave. We set the maximum power. Cook the cabbage rolls for about 20-30 minutes. Then we leave the dish for another 10 minutes in the turned off oven - let it finish. And then let’s taste the delicious food? I am sure that many “helpers” will come to the tasting.
If you have small cabbage leaves left after cooking cabbage rolls, do not throw them away. From this valuable product you can “cook”, or rather stew, a delicious dish.
You will need:
- 0.5 kilos of cabbage;
- 250 g stew;
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil;
- 1 PC. onions;
- 100 ml chili sauce;
- salt pepper cloves.
Chop cabbage leaves. Cut the peeled onion into thin half rings. Place cabbage, onions and stewed meat in layers in a greased baking dish. Add salt and pepper on top, add cloves. And fill it all with sauce.
Cover the container with a lid and put it in the microwave. We set the average power. Cook the dish for about 15 minutes. Then we take a sample to determine the readiness of the food.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with Little cabbage, what is the name of the photo
If everything is ready, mix the ingredients. Cover the dish with a lid again and place in the microwave for 3-4 minutes (medium power). Afterwards, leave the dish for another 5 minutes in the switched off microphone. And then we press on both cheeks.
Recipe for softening cabbage in the microwave
The method for softening cabbage for cabbage rolls in is much simpler than the standard boiling water method. If you have a microwave oven, there is no need to specifically select soft varieties, heat a large container of water and try to wait the right time so that the leaves do not get scalded.
You can even soften young cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave. In boiling water, its leaves quickly boil and tear while minced meat is wrapped in them, unlike the more modern method.
A head of cabbage weighing 1.5-2 kg is suitable for preparing cabbage rolls. It can be placed directly in the oven or wrapped in cling film.
After removing hot cabbage from the microwave, you should immediately rinse it with cold water. This will make the leaves easier to separate from the stalk, and you can immediately wrap the minced meat in them.
Let's sum it up
As you can see, cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave to soften is prepared quite easily and quickly. This method will significantly save your time.
If you purchased a large vegetable to prepare a meat dish and it does not fit in the microwave oven, then we suggest using the traditional method, which involves using a stove. To do this, the processed and peeled head of cabbage is placed in a large saucepan or iron basin, which is half filled with plain water. In this form, place the vegetable on high heat and wait until the liquid boils. Turning the cabbage the other side down, cook it for about 3-4 minutes. After this, remove the pan from the stove and keep its contents under a closed lid for about ¼ hour. During this time, the entire thickness of the product must be thermally treated, all cabbage leaves will soften.
In the event that this process of preparing vegetables is labor-intensive and time-consuming for you, we suggest using not a white cabbage product, but a Beijing product. As you know, Chinese cabbage has very soft and delicate oval-shaped leaves. Therefore, there is no point in treating them thermally. All you need to do is separate the leaves from the base, rinse them thoroughly in cool water and immediately use them to form homemade semi-finished products.
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Another cabbage recipe for cabbage rolls
The easiest way is to place the cabbage in the microwave for 10 minutes without covering it with anything. However, many housewives prefer to use a baking sleeve or wrap the head of cabbage in a plastic bag or cling film. Thus, the moisture does not evaporate, but remains in the leaves. They bake more evenly and become soft even in the center.
A head of cabbage in a sleeve or film can also be cooked in several stages, but it is easier to place it for 10-15 minutes at a lower temperature. After that, it is dipped in cold water in foil, and when it cools down a little, they begin to parse the leaves. All veins are removed with a sharp knife so that they do not spoil the taste of the finished dish. However, instead, the leaves can be carefully beaten with a hammer, but it is important not to damage them.
How to choose the right cabbage?
If you choose cabbage for cabbage rolls and cook it in boiling water, you need to know a few subtleties. The shape, size, color of the leaves, as well as the structure of the vegetable matter. You can cook any cabbage in the microwave so that it is convenient to wrap minced meat in it. However, if you follow the advice of experienced housewives, preparing cabbage will be even easier:
- the head of cabbage should not have a round, but an elongated shape - the leaves come off much easier from such cabbage;
- the cabbage should have large leaves - if they are small, it will be difficult to wrap the minced meat in them, and the cooking process will take a long time;
- leaves should be light (white with a greenish tint), without black spots, tears or damage, signs of fungus or mold;
- individual leaves must be dense, thick and elastic, otherwise they will quickly tear and the filling will no longer be able to be wrapped in them;
- wilting cabbage is not good - you can stew it with meat, and buy another head of cabbage for cabbage rolls.
You can soften cabbage leaves not only in boiling water or in the microwave. Cold has a similar effect.
First you need to freeze a whole head of cabbage, and then remove it from the freezer and defrost it at room temperature. However, after processing, cabbage can only be used for making cabbage rolls and cannot be stored even frozen.
Preparing cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave to soften is the easiest way. Even a novice housewife can cope with preparing a dish according to this recipe. The leaves are soft and elastic, hold their shape well and do not allow the cabbage rolls to fall apart.
Additional Tricks
By the way, my friends, cabbage becomes soft not only under the influence of high temperature. Cold provides a similar effect. Surprised? And you use this method, and then write down what happened to you. This method is good if you are not in a hurry and are generally too lazy to mess around in the kitchen right now?
The head of cabbage should be placed in the freezer for 12 hours. Then you need to take it out and defrost it at room temperature. Cabbage leaves will change beyond recognition - you can easily make cabbage rolls from them. Only this method has its own catch - leaves prepared in this way cannot be stored for a long time. Therefore, do not store them for future use, otherwise they will be lost.