I can’t praise cabbage enough. It is a hard-working vegetable that is so hearty and substantial in its way. It also is so versatile. It’s tasty raw in a slaw, pickled, slow-cooked, buttered with spices. It’s in the supermarket year-round and is always cheap. Talk about loyalty…I decided to make a meatless cabbage dish loaded with protein and came up with this flavor profile as my favorite: curry bolstered by ginger and coconut milk, with some meaty, earthy chickpeas rounding everything out. If you like spicy, use spicy curry powder and add a pinch of cayenne to the sauce. Otherwise, use a sweet curry. Don’t like cilantro? Simply omit. These are great left over or even prepared and then eaten the next day.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 large head savoy cabbage
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 3 teaspoons curry powder
- One 13-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- One 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes, lightly crushed
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
- 1 cup cooked long-grain white rice
- One 15.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- 10 to 12 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped (stems and all)
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add salt until it tastes like mild seawater.
- Meanwhile, place the cabbage on a flat surface and hold squarely with one hand. Cut (and discard) the core out of the bottom of the cabbage. Peel off about 16 leaves. Set aside. Cut the remaining inner part of the cabbage in half and thinly slice both halves. Set aside.
- Add the cabbage leaves to the boiling water and cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes (they may take up to 5 minutes depending on how tough they are). Line a baking sheet with a kitchen towel and transfer the leaves to the baking sheet.
- Heat a braiser or large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the coriander seeds, cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, if using, and 2 teaspoons of the curry powder. Cook so the spices bloom, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, shredded cabbage, half of the tomatoes and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Season with salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the cabbage is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the ginger and rice. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes. (You should have about 4 cups.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the same skillet, combine the coconut milk, the remaining tomatoes, remaining teaspoon curry powder, remaining tablespoon vinegar and a pinch of salt. Simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, wrap the cabbage rolls. Slice off any thick pieces of stem from the bottom of each cabbage leaf. Place 2 cabbage leaves on a flat surface with the bottoms facing each other and overlapping so the two overlapping leaves form a circle. Place 1/2 cup filling in the center. Fold the sides over the stuffing and roll away from you, firmly, like a burrito. Place seam-side down in the coconut-tomato sauce in the pan. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and filling, yielding 8 rolls total. Sprinkle with salt. Spoon the sauce over the top of the cabbage rolls.
- Cover the pan and bake until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 25 to 30 minutes. Glaze again with sauce. Top with the cilantro.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 378 |
| Total Fat | 25 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 35 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 891 mg |
Reviews
Made this and besides destroying my kitchen with the mess and mistaking one cup of cooked rice for one cup uncooked rice Needless to say I have a lot of stuffing left over! I think next time I’ll just make the stuffing with out bothering to stuff the cabbage.
Peeling off the cabbage leaves didn’t go as planned. I ended up chopping up most of the cabbage and making a stew with the rest of ingredients- minus the rice. Served the stew on top of the rice. It’s delicious
Made this today and the flavors are delicious!
Excellent vegan/vegetarian dish! I served sour cream on the side. I made the recipe as written. It was even better the next day. Delicious, inexpensive and healthy! I will make it again!
I made this today. My husband who is extremely picky and vegan loved it. I will make ir again
Very good. We made it using no oil (used veggie broth) and used purple/red cabbage instead. Turned out so good. Has a sweet taste and was filling and so healthy. After all was said and done it was only about 250 calories per roll. Serve with a side of spices lentils and you have a very filling, very healthy Vegan meal.