Happy Vegan Cabbage Rolls ハッピーロールキャベツ

日本語のレシピは　ビーガン、ベジタリアン情報満載の　Hachidory から　ご覧下さい。

 

 

The spring still remains here, though I can feel the summer is waiting patiently behind her.

 

Most of the wildflowers I mentioned in my last post disappeared and the new ones are blooming.

 

 

“Hana no inochi wa mijikakute

Kaku mo utuskushiki kana…”

 

This is the poem that I made imitating the sound of the poem by a famous poet.   It means “The life of the flowers is so short that’s why they are so beautiful.”  or “The flowers are so beautiful because their lives are so short.”  It can be interpretted either way.

 

You may think I love the flowers, but in fact I am not interested in the flowers in the flower shops nor the flowers raised in somebody’s garden with care. 

They seldom attract my attention.

Even if somebody sent the hundreds of roses to me, I probably would not be moved.

 

But the wildflowers catch my attention though they are small, often very small, yes, many of the Japanese wildflowers are tiny, much smaller than the wildflowers of the other countries’, that is what I heard.

 

 

They look so attractive to me.  So, one day I wondered why.  Why I am attracted to them so much but not to the cultivated flowers.  

 

Maybe it’s because they live their lives to their maximum level, because they are born at the places they want to be born, and they live at the places they want to live. 

 

They are totally free. 

 

 

And may be, they get my attention because they are discharging the energy which has the same frequency as mine, and they are charging me to be happier.

 

I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by them.

 

 

 

 

 

The recipe that I am going to share with you today is “Happy Cabbage Rolls".  The spring cabbage is loose and softer, - there is air between each layer of leaves - unlike the ones of the other seasons which is tightly layered. 

 

 

 

One of the fillings is the onion, which is also seasonal and very juicy and sweet.

 

 

Try this recipe within a month while the cabbages and the onions are fresh.

 

 

 

Happy Cabbage Rolls

 

Ingredients (for 5 pieces)

 

5 large pieces of cabbage leaves

1 large onion

1 medium carrot

100g mushroom of your choice

200g cooked rice

100g tomato puree

Herb salt, as required

Vegetable bouillon, optional

Konbu/sea kelp, optional

Salt and pepper, as required

2 Tbsp fresh oregano or other herbs of your choice

1 tsp olive oil, optional

Vegan parmesan cheese, as much as you want

 

6 edible flowers or herbs for decoration

The one in the photo is called “Karasu no endo” and can be found easily in the wild field during spring in Kanto region in Japan.

 

 

Preparations

l  The pot which can tightly hold 5 pieces of cabbage rolls.

 （Or alternatively you can prepare the number of cabbage rolls

   that your pot can hold. ）

l  5 sticks of toothpicks

 

Method

1.   Take first five layers of the leaves off the cabbage gently.  Try not to tear the leaves.

2.   Slice the other vegetables like the below photo.

3.   Blanch the cabbage in the boiling water for a minute and take out.

4.   Add the sliced vegetables in the same boiling water and blanch, Take them out.  Do not discard the water in the pot as we use it later.

5.   Scrape the thick vein of the cabbage in order to make it easier to roll later.  Cut the scraped vein into small pieces, they will be added to the fillings. 

 

6.   Spread a piece of blanched cabbage leaf, place the vegetables and rice prepared earlier horizontally.

7.   Roll them tightly tucking in the sides of the cabbage.

8.   Insert the toothpick to seal at the end.  Make five rolls in a same way.

9.   Place the rolls in the pot side by side with the toothpick side down.  There should not be space between each roll.

10.         Add the soup from the procedure”4”, tomato puree, herb salt and oregano, and cook. (You can add optional vegetable bouillon or kombu at this stage.)  Heat down before reaching boiling point and simmer over low heat for 15~20 minutes with the cover. 

11.         Season with salt and pepper.

12.         Remove the toothpick gently before serving.

13.         Serve on a plate, sprinkle the vegan parmesan cheese and olive oil.       Garnish with the edible flower or herb.

  

Notes

1.   You can enjoy the cabbage roll with the different fillings such as other types of seasonal vegetables and grains, e.g. potato, turnip, millet and bulgur.  Adding tofu or beans is a good idea too.

2.   Try the “The Sauteed Onion with Vegan Parmesan Cheese” that I introduced last year too before the juicy-sweet onion season ends.  

 

 

Happy cooking!

 

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