Many people have scientifically researched the health benefits of cabbage. One of the most common facts that many people already know is this: cabbage is good for stomach health. It also has other good points as other white vegetables also have. However, in my opinion, cabbage itself isn’t that delicious. So, let’s do some magic to transform this nasty vegetable into a tasty and healthy meal. We will roll some rice inside steamed cabbage leaves. Then we will enjoy the cabbage SsamBap with a scrumptious Tuna topping. I got a lot of positive feedback from my family.
Yield: 30 Pieces
Short Korean Lesson
- MukDa (묶다) = Tie
- PulDa (풀다) = Untie
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients:
- 6 White Cabbage Leaves (4 oz)
- 2 Generous Cups Cooked Short Grain Rice
- Some Red Hot Pepper (For garnish)
- Some Green Onion (For Garnish)
Tuna SsamgJang Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Tuna (1 Pack, 6.4 oz)
- ⅓ Cup Onion
- ¼ Cup Green Onion
- ⅓ Cup Water
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1 Tbsp Red Hot Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Soybean Paste
- 1 Tbsp Hot Pepper Paste
- ½ Tbsp Hot Pepper Powder
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
- ½ tsp Garlic, Minced
- 2 Pinches Salt
Directions
Obtain 1 cup of tuna from a can or pouch. If you use a canned tuna, drain out the tuna oil and save 1 Tbsp worth of the oil.
I like to use Starkist Tuna in Sunflower Oil because it has good flavor. Since this pouch doesn’t have much oil in it, I will use 1 Tbsp of cooking oil later.
Finely chop ⅓ cup onion, ¼ cup green onion, and about 1 Tbsp of red hot pepper. You can replace the red hot pepper with carrot or sweet red pepper.
This is a Korean brand cast iron pot that I bought from Amazon. This pretty pot comes with a lid and well made wood support so that you can serve boiling hot soup. After I used it couple times, I absolutely loved it and decided to recommend this pot. Compare to normal clay pots, I don’t have to worry about breaking this pot, it was easy to clean, and the outcome for my food was pretty good. I hope that I can find many great products that are made in Korean like this in the future. If there are any particular Korean produces that you want me to review, please let me know.
Back to the cooking, pour 1 Tbsp of tuna oil, or cooking oil, in the heated pot.
To make flavored oil, quickly add the onion and green onions and fry them for about 30 seconds on high.
After 30 seconds, add the tuna. If you will use carrot instead of the hot pepper, add the carrot in this step.
Then add the seasoning ingredients such as 1 Tbsp of soybean paste, 1 Tbsp of hot pepper paste, and ½ tsp of hot pepper powder.
Mix everything together.
Next, pour ⅓ cup of water and cook it for about 5 minutes on medium-high.
After 5 minutes, add ½ tsp of minced garlic and 1 Tbsp of hot pepper (or sweet red pepper).
Mix it and cook 1 more minute.
After 1 minute, turn off the heat and sprinkle 1 tsp of sesame seeds on top. We just made tuna SsamJang.
(SsamJang is the name for a seasoned soybean paste for wrapping food with lettuce or other leafy vegetables.)Set it aside while preparing the cabbage SsamBap.
If you can, use white cabbage rather than green cabbage because green cabbage has a tougher texture and breaks too easily when you take leaves apart. The flavor of the white cabbage is also a better match for this particular food.
Then, cut and discard the heart of the cabbage. This makes it easy for you to separate the cabbage leaves.
To make 30 pieces, you will need about 6 cabbage leaves.
I also recommend that you cut the thick part with a knife.
Gently rinse the cabbage leaves once.
In put a metal steamer over boiling water.
Put the cabbage leaves in the steamer.
Cover and steam them for about 8 minutes on medium-high. You can also cook the cabbage directly in a boiling water for about 3-5 minutes on medium-high, or you can cook them in the microwave for about 8-10 minutes. (Put the cabbage leaves in a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle some water over the cabbage, cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and cook them.)
After 8 minutes, cool the cooked cabbage for a while.
Prepare about 2 generous cups of cooked short grain rice. It is best to use freshly cooked rice for good texture and flavor. Since the tuna SsamJang has lots of flavor, we do not have to season the rice, which makes this easier to make.
Place a cabbage leaf on a flat surface like cutting board.
If needed, gently tap the cabbage on a paper towel to remove the extra water.
Form some of the rice into cylinder shapes of about a 1 inch diameter. Put a little water on your fingers before touching the rice so that the rice doesn’t stick to your fingers. Put the rice at the end of the cabbage leaf.
Now, roll the cabbage with the rice tightly so that it will hold the shape nicely when you cut it.
If there is an irregular shape at the end, you can cut it off with a knife.
Cut the rolled cabbage into your desired size. For me, between ½ to ¾ inch seems right.
Place the cabbage SsamBap on a plate.
Take out some of the tuna topping, which is about ¾ tsp worth for each piece.
We meed some extra green onion and red hot pepper for the garnish.
Put tuna SsamJang on top of the cabbage SsamBap.
Put one each piece of the green onion and red hot pepper on the tuna SsamJang. This makes the food look more appetizing and gives extra flavor.
Was it fun to watch how I rolled the cabbage SsamBap and garnished it with the other ingredients? It is also easy to make, compared to how fancy it looks. So, you can make this at home and impress yourself and your loved ones. hehe Please try it someday and don’t forget to give me some feedback with your comments and pictures (You can hashtag your picture for #aeriskitchen at Instagram or Facebook).:)
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