Simmered Layered Cabbage and Mince

Simmered Layered Cabbage and Mince is a similar recipe to my Cabbage Rolls, except you don’t roll the mince in cabbage. Instead, you alternate layering the cabbage leaves and ground meat to form a dome shape.

It is easier to make than cabbage rolls because you don’t need to wrap each portion in a cabbage leaf. The cooking method is similar to cabbage rolls, but I added tomato paste to the broth for a change, and I like the rich colour of the broth.

Simmered Layered Cabbage and Mince is a wonderful dish to impress your diners. The semi-sphere of the cabbage brings curiosity about what’s inside, and when you cut the dome into wedges, it looks just like a cake.

In Japan, this is a spring dish made to enjoy tender spring cabbage, but you can, of course, make it all year round. You’ll love how the natural sweetness of the cabbage and the richness of the meat meld together, creating a comforting flavour.

What’s in My Simmered Layered Cabbage and Mince

Cabbage and Filling

• 5 large cabbage leaves, thick stems shaved off and finely chopped
• Finely chopped onion
• Oil and butter
• Pork mince
• Egg
• Panko bread crumbs
• Milk
• Salt and pepper.

My cabbage weighed about 600g/1.3lb in total, and each leaf was about 25cm/10″ in diameter. A little variation in size and weight doesn’t matter. The leaves don’t need to be perfect either – it’s OK even if it is torn a bit.

Instead of pork mince, you can use mixed pork and beef mince, often sold as “Bolognese mince” at supermarkets.

Broth

• Chicken stock
• Water
• Tomato paste
• Salt.

How to make Simmered Layered Cabbage and Mince

See the video.

Prepare Cabbage and Make Filling

1. Blanch the cabbage leaves to soften them, then drain.
2. Heat oil and butter in a frying pan, sauté the onion, and let it cool.
3. Put the panko and milk into a bowl and let the panko absorb the liquid.
4. Add the remaining Filling ingredients and the onion to the bowl. Mix well, then divide the filling into 4 equal portions.

Make Layered Cabbage Dome

1. Place a deep round bowl (about 20cm/8″ in diameter) on the workbench and spread a cabbage leaf on the bottom.
2. Spread one portion of the filling over the cabbage. Place another cabbage leaf on top, then spread another portion of filling over the cabbage. Repeat this, finishing with a cabbage leaf on top.

When placing a cabbage leaf, it is good to rotate the direction of the stem 90 degrees from the one below it so that the thickness of the cabbage layers is even.

Cook and Serve

1. Turn the bowl upside down and transfer the layered cabbage and mince dome onto your palm, then place it into a pot.
2. Add the Broth ingredients to the pot and bring it to a boil.
3. Place a drop lid on the cabbage and cook at medium low temperature, for 45 minutes with a lid on.
4. Carefully transfer the cabbage dome to a serving plate using a spatula. Pour some broth over the top and serve the remaining broth in a jug on the side.
5. Cut the Layered Cabbage and Mince into quarters, serve each quarter on an individual plate, and pour broth over it.

To prevent the bottom of the cabbage from burning, move the cabbage dome from time to time while cooking (see the video).

It may seem like a lot of processes, but it is surprisingly simple to make.

The most exciting part is cutting into the dome. It’s so satisfying to see the beautiful layers of cabbage and mince.

I’ve noted the serving size as 4 in the recipe card, but if you are a big eater, 1/3 of the dome makes a generous portion. You can of course cut it into smaller pieces, too. You can keep it in the fridge for a few days.

Yumiko

Watch How To Make It

5 from 2 votes

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Simmered Layered Cabbage and Mince

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

Simmered Layered Cabbage and Mince is similar recipe to my Cabbage Rolls, except you don’t roll the mince in cabbage. Instead, you alternate layering the cabbage leaves and ground meat to form a dome shape.

Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.

Recipe Type: Main

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: cabbage recipe, Layered cabbage, Pork Mince Recipes

Serves: 4

Author: Yumiko

Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)

• 5 large cabbage leaves (note 1)

Filling

• 1 onion (medium size, about 150g/5.3oz, very finely chopped)
• ½ tbsp oil
• ½ tbsp butter
• 400g/0.9lb pork mince (note 2)
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
• 40ml/1.4fl oz milk
• ⅔ tsp salt
• Pepper

Broth

• 300ml/10.1fl oz chicken stock (salt reduced)
• 50ml/1.7fl oz water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

Prepare Cabbage

1. Shave the thick stems off the cabbage leaves. Finely chop the stems and set aside.
2. Boil water in a large pot and blanch the cabbage leaves for a minute or so (you only need to remove crispness of the cabbage). Drain and let them cool.

Make Filling

1. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes, until some onion pieces start browning around the edges. Turn the heat off and let it cool.

2. Put the panko and milk into a bowl and let the panko absorb the liquid.

3. Add the remaining filling ingredients, including the sautéed onion, and chopped cabbage stems to the bowl and mix well until the mixture becomes sticky. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions.

Make Layered Cabbage Dome

1. Place a deep round bowl (about 20cm/8" in diameter, note 3) on the work bench and spread a cabbage leaf on the bottom (note 4).

2. Spread one portion of the filling over the cabbage, making sure it is evenly distributed up to about 5-6cm from the top edge of the cabbage.

3. Place another cabbage leaf on top, rotating the direction of the stem by 90 degrees from the cabbage leaf below it (note 5). Then spread another portion of filling over it. Repeat this finishing with a cabbage leaf on top.

Cook

1. Turn the bowl upside down and transfer the layered cabbage dome onto your palm, then place it into a pot with the round side up (note 6). If the edges of the cabbage at the bottom stick out, push them underneath with a spatula.

2. Mix water, salt, and tomato paste in a jar and dissolve the tomato paste. Add this mixture along with the remaining Broth ingredients to the pot with the cabbage dome (note 7).

3. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low to medium. Put a drop lid on and cook for 45 minutes with the lid on (note 8). Move the cabbage dome with a spatula from time to time while cooking (note 8). Turn the heat off.

Serving

1. Slide the spatula underneath the cabbage dome, tilt the pot and transfer the cabbage dome to a large serving plate, rounded side up.

2. Pour some broth over the dome, and the rest in a jug to serve on the aside.

3. Cut the Simmered Layered Cabbage and Mince into quarters (or more depending on serving size). Transfer each portion to an individual plate and pour some broth over it.

Recipe Notes

1. My cabbage weighed about 600g/1.3lb in total, and each leaf was about 25cm/10" in diameter. A little variation in size and weight doesn’t matter. The leaves don’t need to be perfect either - it’s OK even if it is torn a bit.

2. You can also use mixed pork and beef mince, often sold as “Bolognese mince” at supermarkets.

3. It is best to use a semi-spherical bowl to shape a dome-shaped layered cabbage.

4. If your cabbage leaves are torn, overlap the cabbage pieces and ensure that there is no gap, ensuring the bottom and the side of the bowl is fully covered with cabbage.

5. So that the thickness of the cabbage layers is even.

6. If you use a bowl with a flat bottom, your dome will be slightly flat. You can reshape the dome by gently squeezing around the base and lifting the centre up.

7. I combined the tomato paste mixture with the chicken stock and mixed well, then added it to the pot.

8. Only about 150-200ml/5.1-6.8fl oz of broth will be left in the end. If your broth is reducing too fast, add some water. Too much broth can be reduced after transferring the cabbage dome to a serving plate.

9. This helps prevent the bottom from burning. It might still burn slightly, but that’s OK.

Alternatively, you can place a piece of cabbage at the bottom of the pot before putting the cabbage dome inside. Make sure that you exclude the piece when transferring the cooked cabbage and mince to the serving plate.

10. You can keep Simmered Layered Cabbage and Mince for a few days in the fridge.

11. Nutrition per serving.

serving: 272g calories: 400kcal fat: 27g (35%) saturated fat: 9.8g (49%) trans fat: 0.1g polyunsaturated fat: 2.9g monounsaturated fat: 12g cholesterol: 125mg (42%) sodium: 908mg (39%) carbohydrates: 15g (5%) dietary fibre: 1.5g (5%) sugar: 4.9g protein: 23g vitamin D: 0.4mcg (2%) calcium: 67mg (5%) iron: 2.1mg (12%) potassium: 561mg (12%)