Stuffed cabbage is a dish of East European cuisine, which has many analogues in the Middle East and Asian cuisines. It is a vegetable or minced meat with boiled rice or buckwheat, wrapped in soft cabbage leaves.
Currently, there are several varieties of this dish with various fillings.
Wrapping cabbage rolls is a rather laborious process, so many chefs use a simpler option for their preparation (lazy cabbage rolls).
Dish Overview
Traditional cabbage rolls are considered products of minced meat wrapped in cabbage leaves. The process of preparing such a dish may take several hours. This is due not only to the lengthy manufacture of the filling, but also to the formation of the semi-finished products themselves.
Cooking features
As you know, cabbage is a multi-layer vegetable, which is particularly hard and crisp. If you crush the leaves of this product, they will break. Therefore, for the preparation of stuffed cabbage, they are necessarily subjected to heat treatment. Only in this case will the vegetable become softer and more pliable.
Processing options
Cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave is processed quite rarely. After all, many housewives are used to doing this with a stove. However, such a process is longer and laborious. Therefore, we decided to tell you about how to prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave.
Vegetable selection
Before you make cabbage for stuffed cabbage in the microwave, you should choose it correctly. Vegetables for such a dish should be taken in small sizes. The head of cabbage should not be covered with mold and other rot. The most suitable cabbage for cabbage rolls is elastic and light forks of small size. Such a vegetable will make your dish tender and very tasty.
How to process?
Few people know how to soften cabbage for cabbage in the microwave. Before describing this simple process, you should tell how the vegetable must be properly processed.
A head of cabbage is thoroughly washed in cool water. At the same time, all surface leaves unsuitable for consumption are removed from it. They can be affected by mold and rot. The main thing is that the thickness of the vegetable is clean and not affected by insects.
The first way. How to prepare cabbage for stuffed cabbage in the microwave?
After the vegetable is processed and peeled, it is placed on a flat plate intended for a microwave oven. In this case, cabbage must be placed with the stalk down.
In this form, the product is sent to the microwave. At maximum power, the vegetable is cooked for about 10-11 minutes. During this time, the head should become soft and hot. They take it out and immediately wash it under a stream of cold water. As a result of simple manipulations, all leaves are alternately removed from cabbage. They should be as soft as possible and move away from the stump almost independently.
As you can see, cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave cooks pretty quickly. The disadvantage of this method is that the upper layers of the leaves can become too soft and fall apart right in the hands.
The second way. How to cook cabbage on cabbage rolls in the microwave quickly?
In the event that you do not want to keep the vegetable in the microwave for too long, so that it does not boil, we suggest using another method of preparing it. Cabbage is also washed and surface leaves are removed. Then it is placed on a plate and sent to the microwave. The product should be in the microwave for five to seven minutes (at maximum power).
Over time, it is removed and immediately washed with cold water. In the process, the upper leaves, which have already managed to soften slightly, are removed from the cabbage. This should be done until you get to harder leaves.
Cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave in this way is processed several times. After separation of the soft leaves, the heads are again sent to the microwave oven and held for another three to four minutes.
Similar procedures are carried out until the whole vegetable is taken apart into soft and suitable leaves for cabbage rolls.
Third way
Cabbage for stuffed cabbage in the microwave for softening can be processed in different ways. The two most popular methods were presented above. However, some housewives carry out such a process using ordinary drinking water.
They wash the vegetables thoroughly, cut off unnecessary elements in the form of surface leaves, and then put them in a deep plate designed for a microwave oven. Next, pour a little drinking water into the dishes (about ½ cup). This method will contribute to a more delicate basis for a meat dish.
Cabbage for stuffed cabbage in the microwave with water should be cooked for seven to eight minutes. In this case, the power of the microwave oven is set to the maximum value.
Over time, the vegetable, along with a tray of hot water, is carefully removed from the microwave and washed thoroughly, separating the leaves from the head. If the leaves closer to the stump remain stiff, then the product is kept for some time in the microwave oven.
To summarize
As you can see, cabbage for stuffed cabbage in the microwave for cooking is prepared quite easily and quickly. This method will significantly save your time.
If for the preparation of a meat dish you purchased a large vegetable and it does not fit in a microwave oven, we suggest using the traditional method, which involves the use of a stove. To do this, the processed and peeled head is laid out in a large pot or iron basin, which is half filled with plain water. In this form, the vegetable is put on a strong fire and wait for the liquid to boil. Turning the cabbage upside down, it is boiled for about 3-4 minutes. After that, the pan is removed from the stove and its contents are kept under a closed lid for about ¼ hour. During this time, the entire thickness of the product must be thermally processed, all cabbage leaves soften.
In the event that such a process of preparing a vegetable is laborious and lengthy for you, we suggest using a white product, but a Beijing one. As you know, Beijing cabbage has very soft and delicate oval leaves. Therefore, there is no point in thermally processing them. You only need to separate the leaves from the base, rinse them thoroughly in cool water and immediately use them to form home-cooked foods.