How to remove cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls. How to prepare cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls? How to cut cabbage for cabbage rolls without improvised means

Which has many analogues in the Middle Eastern 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 different fillings.

Wrapping cabbage rolls is a rather laborious process, so many chefs use a simpler version of their preparation.

General information about the dish

Traditional cabbage rolls are products from minced meat wrapped in cabbage leaves. The process of preparing such a dish can take you several hours. This is due not only to the long-term production of the filling, but also to the formation of the semi-finished products themselves.

Cooking features

As you know, cabbage is a multi-layered vegetable, which is particularly hard and crunchy. If the leaves of this product are crushed, they will break. Therefore, for the preparation of cabbage rolls, they must be subjected to heat treatment. Only in this case the vegetable will become softer and more supple.

Processing options

Cabbage for stuffed cabbage in the microwave is processed quite rarely. After all, many housewives are used to doing this with the help of a stove. However, this process is longer and more laborious. Therefore, we decided to tell you about how to prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave.

vegetable selection

Before that, it should be chosen 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 stuffed cabbage is an elastic and light fork of a 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 rolls in the microwave. Before describing this simple process, you should tell how the vegetable must be properly processed.

The head of cabbage is thoroughly washed in cool water. At the same time, all superficial 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.

Method one. How to prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave?

After the vegetable has been processed and cleaned, it is placed on a flat plate designed for the microwave oven. In this case, the 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 of cabbage should become soft and hot. It is taken out and immediately washed under running cold water. As a result of simple manipulations, all the leaves are alternately removed from the cabbage. They should be as soft as possible and move away from the stalk 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.

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 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. Then it is placed on a plate and the product is sent for five to seven minutes (at maximum power).

After the lapse of time, it is taken out and immediately washed with cold water. In the process of this, the upper leaves are removed from the cabbage, which have already softened slightly. This should be done until you get to the tougher leaves.

Cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave is processed several times in this way. After separating the soft leaves, the head 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.

Method three

Cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave for softening can be processed in different ways. The two most popular methods have been presented above. However, some housewives carry out such a process using ordinary drinking water.

The vegetable is thoroughly washed, unnecessary elements are cut off in the form of surface leaves, and then placed in a deep plate designed for the microwave. Next, pour a little drinking water into the dishes (about ½ cup). This method will help to obtain a more tender base for a meat dish.

Cabbage for cabbage rolls 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.

After a while, the vegetable, along with a tray of hot water, is carefully removed from the microwave and washed well, separating the leaves from the head. If the leaves located closer to the stalk remain hard, then the product is kept in the microwave oven for some time.

Summing up

As you can see, cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave for softening is prepared quite easily and quickly. This method will save you a lot of time.

If, for cooking a meat dish, you purchased a large vegetable and it does not fit in a microwave oven, then we suggest using the traditional method, which involves the use of a stove. To do this, the processed and cleaned head of cabbage is laid out in a large pan or iron basin, which is half filled with ordinary water. In this form, the vegetable is put on a strong fire and the liquid is waiting for the boil. Turn the cabbage upside down and cook it 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 should be thermally processed, all cabbage leaves will soften.

In the event that such a process of preparing a vegetable is laborious and lengthy for you, we suggest using not a white-headed product, but a Beijing one. As you know, it has very soft and delicate oval-shaped leaves. Therefore, there is no point in thermal processing them. You only need to separate the leaves from the base, rinse them thoroughly in cool water and immediately use them to form homemade semi-finished products.

Numerous dishes united by the name "Stuffed cabbage" are a variety of minced meat stewed in cabbage leaves. Now I will show you how to quickly and efficiently prepare this base for your cabbage roll fantasy.

So!
We take a fairly large head of cabbage. In this case, the head of cabbage is not too large, medium.

Separate the outer dirty leaves

Cut the stalk flush with the head of cabbage

We tightly drive the fork into the stalk - it will remain there until the end of the process. With its help, we will twist and turn our head of cabbage, as you like, without fear of scalding.

Take a big pot

We put the cabbage in a saucepan, pour 1-2 tablespoons of salt and pour cold water over it, so that the cabbage is covered. Cabbage is put right away for "trying on", so as not to spend too much time boiling excess water.

We take out the cabbage, and bring the water to a boil in a saucepan.
While the water boils, we make a deep circular incision around the stalk

Dip cabbage in boiling water

And, with the help of two more forks, as soon as they are ready (that is, softening and acquiring elasticity), we begin to remove leaf by leaf from the cabbage.

Due to the fact that the leaves are already pre-cut from the stalk, the cabbage is practically "self-disassembled"

True, in the end, you have to cut the leaves slightly

It takes from 30 seconds to 1 minute to be ready to separate each next sheet. We use this time to good use - we beat off thick stems of leaves

In the end, our cabbage leaves such a pretty rose

There is a stump and small, not suitable for golubtsov, leaves.
But don't throw them away! From a semi-cooked stalk and leaves, delicious salad which I will cover in another review.

In the end, 20 leaves came out of the experimental cabbage, suitable for folding cabbage rolls - a small family for a week :-)
Enjoy your meal!

Properly prepared cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave will help to quickly, without damage, separate the leaves of the cabbage and make them soft. If boiled in water, the head softens, and the leaves begin to tear. Therefore, the microwave is the best option.

In order for the cabbage rolls to turn out, it is necessary to choose, cut and soften the cabbage correctly. The cabbage leaf should become thin and transparent, but at the same time whole and strong. Then the dish will turn out beautiful, appetizing, desirable.

From such a cabbage leaf you will get excellent cabbage rolls.

Ingredients:

• head of cabbage.

It is necessary to choose a head of cabbage not round, but flattened. This cabbage has a large leaf with thick veins. Cabbage rolls from such leaves will turn out the same.

Cooking:

1. Remove the upper leaves from the head, which are damaged and dark green in color.
2. Make five cuts, cut the stalk and remove it.
3. Place a fork in the bowl.
4. Send to the microwave.
5. Set the maximum power.
6. Set the time to 11 minutes.
7. If the head of cabbage has become soft, you can proceed to further steps. If it remains firm, leave for another three minutes.
8. Next, send the forks under cold water, disassemble into leaves. After the done manipulations, they are easily separated from each other.

Easy softening option in a bag

It is very easy to cook cabbage in the microwave for cabbage rolls without damaging and tearing the leaves in a bag.

1. Remove pale green and damaged leaves. Harvest until clean and whole leaves appear.
2. Cut off the protruding stalk; if it is short, you can leave it.
3. Take a long sharp knife. Cut around the stalk - this will help separate the leaves from the head. Deepen the knife as far as you can, and notch the leaves only at the base.
4. Place the head in the bag.
5. Select the maximum oven power.
6. Send for five minutes in the microwave.
7. Get it. Remove the leaves, which are easily separated. Use a fork to help.
8. Put it back in the bag, put it in the microwave for the same time.
9. When the whole head of cabbage is taken apart, collect them in one pile and send them to the microwave.
10. Maximum power, time - five minutes.
11. Thanks to this procedure, the leaves will be almost transparent and completely soft. Cool down. Trim the veins of each leaf with a knife.

How to soften individual leaves?

Many people love cabbage rolls, but do not want to cook them. After all, it is a whole problem to find a huge pot that will fit a head of cabbage. Then there is a high probability of getting burned, taking it out of the water several times. Therefore, for a safe and fast method, a microwave is suitable.

Before cooking cabbage rolls, it is necessary to soften the cabbage.

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

1. Remove damaged leaves from the head.
2. Take a sharp knife, cut the stalk, separate the leaves.
3. Sprinkle heat-resistant dishes with plain water, place cabbage leaves.
4. Remove to microwave.
5. Warm up at maximum temperature for a couple of minutes.
6. Check the condition of the sheets. If harsh, put another on the same time.
7. When the vegetable is completely softened, cut off the thick veins.

How many minutes to soften the cabbage with a whole head?

A microwave will help even in this matter.

Place the washed cabbage without top leaves in the microwave at maximum power and process for nine minutes. Then place under a stream of ice water. After it cools down, crush. If you feel that the head of cabbage is softened, you can separate the leaves. If still firm to the touch, place in the microwave for a couple more minutes.

5 toppings for delicious cabbage rolls

When the leaves are prepared, the question arises, what kind of stuffing to wrap in the leaves? We offer the most delicious and proven options.

Base

This is the simplest and most common cooking option.

Ingredients:

• paprika - 0.5 tsp;
• onion - 270 g;
• salt - 0.5 tsp;
• minced beef - 470 g;
• raisins - 100 g;
• boiled rice - 0.5 cups.

Cooking:

1. Chop the onion, this should be done very finely.
2. Place in minced meat, season, salt.
3. Arrange the rice, place the raisins. Mix.
4. Stuff the leaves with the stuffing.

Vegetarian

Ideal for cooking delicious dish on fast days.

These cabbage rolls are perfect for fasting meals.

Ingredients:

• parsley - 50 g;
• carrot - 1 pc.;
• salt;
• onions - 5 heads;
• celery - root;
• ground black pepper;
• butter - 2 tbsp. spoons.

Cooking:

1. Clean vegetables.
2. Cut the carrots into strips, chop the onion, cut the celery into pieces.
3. Place butter on a hot frying pan, melt. Fold prepared products.
4. Add chopped greens to the frying, salt, sprinkle with pepper. Mix.
5. Stuff cabbage leaves with the resulting mass.

Meat

For cooking delicious toppings It is better to combine two types of meat.

Ingredients:

• beef - 300 g;
• pork - 300 g;
• salt;
• greens - 25 g;
• carrot - 1 pc.;
• spices;
• boiled rice - 400 g;
• bulb.

Cooking:

1. Cut the prepared meat into pieces, chop the onion, chop the ingredients. Mix with rice.
2. Mix chopped greens with minced meat.
3. Grate the carrots, fry in a pan, add to the minced meat.
4. Salt, add spices. Stir.

In a house where there are many different kitchen appliances, cooking becomes a real pleasure. If you show imagination, then some devices can be found not quite standard application. For example, not everyone knows for cabbage rolls in the microwave. It turns out that this is not at all difficult to do.

Waiting minutes

Before starting to cook cabbage rolls, every housewife first of all goes to the store or to the market. The choice of products must be treated very carefully, because they will mainly affect the result. Among the general list, special attention is paid to cabbage. To begin with, you need to remember two conditions:

1. You should not take a head for cabbage rolls of a round shape. The leaves are strong and tough. It is better to take one that is slightly flattened and looks like a pill. Such cabbage leaves will be thin and rather long.
2. The head of cabbage should be without damage: mechanical in the form of cracks and diseases in the form of black dots inside.

Now the hostess is faced with the task of preparing it for work. It is necessary to make sure that the leaves become soft and pliable. Few people know how to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave.

There is no secret here. This is done as follows:

1. A head of cabbage weighing 2 kilograms must be put in the oven and the door closed.
2. Set the timer for 10 minutes, and it is better to choose the maximum power (900 watts).
3. After the call, take out the product and immediately put it under a stream of cold water.
4. After that, it must be squeezed out by hand. If it is not quite soft yet, then the procedure can be repeated (2-3 minutes).

This is the easiest option on how to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave. Minimum labor costs in a short time.

Slowly and surely

Those who are not accustomed to hoping for a chance can use another option. There is another way that will teach you how to cook cabbage for cabbage rolls in the microwave. It is basically the same as the previous one. True, there are some clarifications:

1. First, turn the head of cabbage upside down and make four deep cuts around it with a sharp knife.
2. Place the cabbage in the oven for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the vegetable and carefully separate the top few leaves. You need to remove only those leaves that themselves lag behind.
4. Once again, make cuts around the base and again send the product to the microwave, but for 5 minutes, no more. This must be done until the last leaf is removed.
5. Gather the separated products together and send them back to the oven for 4-5 minutes. After that, they will become completely transparent. It will be easy and simple to wrap minced meat in them. Soft thin leaves retain their plasticity, and the filling will never fall out of them.

This option is longer, but reliable.

hot water effect

But the microwave is not the only option on how to remove leaves from cabbage for cabbage rolls. After all, this dish was prepared long before they invented a cunning machine. And the hostesses found another way out of the situation. It is understood that the product softens at elevated temperature. But how to create such conditions? The easiest way is to use boiling water. This was the secret of our grandmothers.

Everything was done like this:

1. First, with a sharp knife, you need to cut the stalk.
2. At this time, boil water in a large saucepan.
3. Dip the prepared product into it and wait 7-10 minutes.
4. Remove the head of cabbage, put it on a plate and carefully separate the top leaves.
5. Make incisions again, but deeper, and repeat the procedure.

Each time the head will become smaller and smaller. At the last stage, the process can be considered complete. Too large pieces can be cut in half, and thick stems can simply be cut out. This method of how to remove leaves from cabbage for cabbage rolls is good because it does not require re-treatment of the leaves. But he also has disadvantages. The hostess has to constantly deal with boiling liquid and hot product, and this is not at all safe.

cooking

Having mastered the method of processing cabbage, you can take on the dish itself. How to cook will explain step by step how this can be done.

First of all, you need to collect everything on the table necessary products: a kilogram of meat, 2 heads of fresh cabbage, onion, a glass of rice, 1 carrot, 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 500 grams of tomato, a bunch of parsley, pepper, salt and any spices.

To make cabbage rolls, the recipe (step by step) involves the following steps:

1. Rice pour boiling water and leave for half an hour.
2. In any of the chosen ways, divide the head of cabbage into leaves.
3. Lightly fry the chopped onion in a frying pan. A little later, add the grated carrot, tomato, salt and pepper. The mixture should boil well.
4. Grind the meat with an immersion blender. You can also use a meat grinder, but then it is better to scroll the mass twice.
5. Strain the rice and add to the meat along with the stewed vegetables. Mix the products well. This will be the filling.
6. Put a little minced meat on each cabbage leaf, and then, wrapping the edges, squeeze tightly and form a stuffed cabbage.
7. Place semi-finished products in a roaster or on a pallet, placing them with a seam down. After that, pour the tomato diluted with water, sprinkle with chopped herbs and put in the oven.

After a couple of hours, tender and fragrant cabbage rolls will be ready.

Simplified version

For those who don't want to waste time fiddling with leaves, there is another way. They can cook from fresh cabbage.

And they turn out no worse than usual. For work you will need: 400 grams of minced meat and a head of approximately the same mass, a glass of rice, a carrot, an egg, 2 onions and a tablespoon of tomato paste.

The cooking method is not complicated at all:

1. First, the cabbage must be arbitrarily cut with a knife, pour hot water over it and leave for 5-7 minutes so that all the bitterness leaves it.
2. During this time, boil the rice. The water must be salted.
3. Combine the minced meat with half of the prepared cabbage and rice. After that, add one chopped onion, egg and spices. Mix the products.
4. Form cutlets from the resulting mass and place them on a tray, previously lined with the remains of cabbage.
5. Fry the remaining onion with carrots and put on top.
6. Pour everything with a glass of water and put in the oven. In an hour everything will be ready.

Those who do not want to suffer with cutlets can take meat instead of minced meat and simply cut it into small pieces.

Cold treatment

It turns out that elevated temperature is not the only way to change the state of a product. The same results can be achieved with the reverse action. This means that cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls need to be cooled down a lot. This problem can easily cope with a conventional refrigerator.

You just need to put the head of cabbage in the freezer for 10-12 hours in advance, and then take it out and defrost it in natural conditions. Surprisingly, cabbage in this case becomes simply unrecognizable: soft, tender and very plastic. You can wrap anything in it. It is very convenient and absolutely safe. But this method also has its own catch. Cabbage leaves processed in this way will subsequently be unsuitable for other dishes. Only cabbage rolls can be made from them, so you will have to make so many fillings to use up the entire head of cabbage. Also, they can't be stored. Even in the refrigerator, this product will spoil very quickly.

Technical capabilities

It is not necessary to pre-process for cabbage rolls in the microwave. There are many other appliances in the kitchen, which are also always at hand. Take, for example, a steamer.

Everyone knows its ability to speed up the preparation of many dishes. This can be used at the preparatory stage. The procedure is very similar to the option with boiling water in a saucepan. But everything is done much faster. After all, time is an expensive pleasure, and they should not be scattered. The sequence of actions remains the same. You just need to lower the head of cabbage into a double boiler for a couple of minutes. After that, take it out and carefully cut off the top leaves. Further, the procedure is repeated until the bare stump remains in the hands of the hostess. After that, it remains only to carefully review the prepared product. Some leaves can be cut off the thickening on the stem. If the veins are too large, then it is better to remove them altogether with a sharp knife.

The most difficult step in the preparation of cabbage rolls is to separate the cabbage leaves from the head so that they do not break, but do not turn out to be too soft. Cabbage for stuffed cabbage in the microwave softens enough to wrap the filling in it, but remains elastic. Unlike the standard method using a pot of boiling water, the microwave cooks the leaves completely and retains their strength.

Recipe for softening cabbage in the microwave

The way to soften cabbage for stuffed cabbage in is much easier than the standard method with boiling water. With a microwave oven, there is no need to specifically select soft varieties, heat a large container of water and try to keep the right time so that the leaves do not scald.

You can soften even 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 way.

For the preparation of cabbage rolls, a head of cabbage weighing 1.5-2 kg is suitable. It can be put directly into the oven or wrapped in cling film.

Hot cabbage after getting it out of the microwave should immediately be doused with cold water. So the leaves are easier to separate from the stalk, and you can immediately wrap the minced meat in them.

Another cabbage recipe for cabbage rolls

The easiest way is to put the cabbage in the microwave for 10 minutes and do not cover with anything. However, many housewives prefer to use a baking sleeve or wrap a 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 foil in cold water, and when it cools down a bit, 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 gently beaten off with a hammer, while 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. In the microwave, you can cook any cabbage so that it is convenient to wrap minced meat in it. However, if you follow the advice of experienced housewives, it will be even easier to cook cabbage:

• the head of cabbage should not have a round, but an elongated shape - the leaves are separated from such a cabbage much easier;
• cabbage should have large leaves - if they are small, it will be difficult to wrap minced meat in them, and the cooking process will take a long time;
• the leaves should be light (white with a greenish tint), without black dots, tears and damage, signs of fungus or mold;
• individual leaves must be dense, thick and resilient, otherwise they will quickly tear, and the filling cannot be wrapped in them;
• withering cabbage is not good - it can be stewed with meat, and for cabbage rolls, get another head of cabbage.

You can soften cabbage leaves not only in boiling water or in a microwave oven. Cold has a similar effect.

First you need to freeze a whole head of cabbage, and then take it out of the freezer and defrost at room temperature. However, after processing, the cabbage can only be used for the preparation of 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 hostess will be able to cope with cooking according to this recipe. The leaves are soft and elastic, keep their shape well and do not allow cabbage rolls to fall apart.

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