Stuffed Cabbage Roll : Something "Exotic"?

Honey, Make something Exotic : When i keep watching some cookery show program on TV, or some food channel, my husband always asks me to make something "Exotic" like they show on the TV...There were a few recipes that i tried after noting them down, but the presentation shown on television is somehow always better than the one we make at home... The same way, i had always wondered why home cooked food doesn't taste like the ones served in restaurants. There is always a taste difference...No doubt, that home cooked food is always healthier and delicious, we still love to eat out, for the change of taste and for the excitement of trying something new and "exotic" ! Exotic literally means "Out of ordinary" or something "different". Exotic in cooking would mean, making something which we don't eat everyday or cooking something with ingredients not commonly found. And yes, i always wanted to make something like that....

Inspired by Little MasterChef : The show on one of the leading Indian television channel is a hit with all the foodies and the Mommy's. With cute little kids posing as chefs and cooking a given dish, putting in their creativity and managing to make something different everytime in a given period of time is fun to watch! Kids really add a different taste to the whole show. On one such show, i saw the kids making red cabbage rolls with prawn filling. And though, they don't show the recipe anytime, i just put "2 and 2" together and thought of trying it at home with my version of vegetables. And not only did it taste good, it looked "Exotic" too :) That's something that made my husband happy :)

We are not much of a "Cabbage sabzi" fans, so when we buy cabbage, we normally make Cabbage Parathas or this dish now. Red cabbage is hard to find here, so i tried it with the green cabbage. This is like a complete dish in itself ( when served with sauce ) and filling too, or you can serve it as a starter( without the sauce), or as a dish to be eaten with Rotis or Parathas. Stuffed Cabbage rolls is a common dish in eastern Europe and the stuffing varies from region to region, with the dominant ingredient being meat. You can also add chicken or any other vegetable of your choice to the stuffing. Be as creative as you can :) 

Ingredients :

Potatoes - 3 medium sized ( boiled and chopped )

Carrots - 1 small ( chopped into dices and boiled )

Cauliflower florets - 1 cup ( boiled )

Green peas ( 1/2 cup boiled ) - optional.

Onion - 2 medium size ( chopped finely )

Garlic - 5 ( chopped finely )
Milk - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp
Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp ( you can alternatively add green chillies chopped finely )
Cabbage leaves - 6 big ones ( make sure when you take out those leaves, they are not torn and stiff)
Cream - 1/2 cup
Tomato paste/Ketchup - 1/2 cup
Corriander leaves - to garnish
Thread - to tie the leaves
Salt - to taste
And of course Pepper.... It makes any dish yummy :) Add according to taste

Recipe :

When you boil the vegetables, save the vegetable stock. We would require it later ( around 1/2- 3/4 cup).

Heat Butter in a pan, add milk to it. Add the boiled potatoes and mash it well. Cover and cook it for 2 minutes. 

Then add the boiled cauliflower and carrots ( and/or any other vegetable of your choice) and mix it all well. Let it cook covered for another 2 minutes. 

Then add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Mix it all well and then add the chopped garlic and half of the chopped onions. Let it cook till everything mixes well. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

Boil water in a big bowl, and put the cabbage leaves in it.( Make sure the leaves are entirely immersed in water). Allow it to cook till the leaves soften ( takes around 10-12 minutes )... don't boil the leaves too soft, otherwise it would be difficult to make a roll later on. The leaves start changing colour, that's when you see that they are cooked.

Take them out and place them under cold water for a minute.

Now, as shown, take the cabbage leaf and put around 1-2 tbsp of stuffing in the center.

Fold the side leaf from both sides into center, so the stuffing is packed inside well. Make sure you do it carefully without tearing the leaf apart.

Now wrap the cabbage roll with a thread in the middle and around the sides.

Once you make all the rolls ready, heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil or butter and place the rolls into the pan, fry one side till it gets golden brown colour and turn and fry on the other side well till it gets the same colour. Remove the rolls when done.

In the same pan, add half of the onions kept aside. Add around 1/2- 3/4 cup veg stock, and the tomato paste. Let it come to a boil. Then add the cream and some salt and pepper. Cook till it becomes a nice creamy thick sauce.

Place the rolls in a plate and put the sauce on top. Garnish with some Corriander leaves :)

Your "Exotic" dish is ready!!!!

Happy Cooking :)