Gingery Cabbage Rolls With Pork and Rice

Name: Gingery Cabbage Rolls With Pork and Rice
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 12 cabbage rolls (4 to 6 servings)
Ingredients: Kosher salt and black pepper; 1 medium head savoy cabbage; 1 1/2 pounds ground pork; 1/3 cup uncooked short-grain white rice; 1 large egg, lightly beaten; 6 scallions, finely chopped (about 1 cup); 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece); 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 cups chicken broth; Sesame oil, for serving

By Sue Li

Updated June 23, 2025

Gingery Cabbage Rolls With Pork and Rice — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1¼ hours
Rating: 5(2,032)
Comments: Read comments

These fork-tender cabbage rolls, filled with savory pork, rice and ginger, are the ultimate comfort food — perfect to serve as a cozy meal on a cold night. When assembling the rolls, you can simply fold the cabbage leaf onto itself as you would fold a burrito — and don’t worry if the cabbage leaves tear. If there are any leftovers, reheat them with more chicken broth. They are good the day they are made, but even better the next day.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 cabbage rolls (4 to 6 servings)

Kosher salt and black pepper
1medium head savoy cabbage
1½pounds ground pork
⅓cup uncooked short-grain white rice
1large egg, lightly beaten
6scallions, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
2tablespoons soy sauce
2cups chicken broth
Sesame oil, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

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Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt.
Step 2
Prepare the cabbage: Remove about 12 large outer leaves, reserving the rest of the cabbage for another use. Once the water boils, lower the heat to medium so that the water reaches a gentle boil. Add the cabbage leaves, about 4 at a time, and cook until tender and flexible but leaves remain intact and maintain their crunch, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a towel-lined plate and set aside to cool slightly while you make the filling. Repeat with remaining cabbage leaves.
Step 3
Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, combine pork, rice, egg, scallions, ginger and soy sauce with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Step 4
Assemble the cabbage rolls: Working with one cooked cabbage leaf at a time, place it on a cutting board or other flat surface with its stem end at the bottom. Spoon a heaping ¼ cup of the pork mixture in the center and mold the mixture into a rough 2- to 3-inch log. Pull the stem end over the meat mixture, and fold the right and left sides of the leaf over and roll tightly to the very top. Place the cabbage rolls seam-side down in a large Dutch oven or ovenproof, straight-sided saucepan. Repeat with the remaining cabbage and pork filling.
Step 5
Pour the chicken broth over the cabbage rolls and bring to a boil over medium. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven, and bake until cabbage rolls are fork tender and the meat mixture is cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve with ladles of broth over the rolls and a drizzle of sesame oil.

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Ratings

5 out of 5

2,032 user ratings

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Comments

Tracy5 years ago

Made these with a few changes. We eliminated the kosher salt and added 1 tsp. of fish sauce. Doubled the ginger. We scattered 12 peeled garlic cloves around the rolls before adding the broth. We drizzled the cooked rolls with sesame oil and chili oil. They are very tasty, and we are looking forward to the leftovers.

reddog_momma4 years ago

We make this dish every other week it seems. It's that good. We add roughly 4-6 minced garlic cloves to this and it makes the dish. Additionally, we've used ground turkey, beef, pork, chicken and bison. All are delish! I've also made it without rice and the results were the same as with. Lastly, we've also used Savoy, Napa, and the normal green cabbage, and again, all work great! Savoy is our favorite however.

jenn5 years ago

I used ground chicken and added cilantro. It was great. Tasted like a steamed dumpling so I made a quick dumpling sauce of soy, vinegar, and chili. It was perfect!

Kathrin2 days ago

Mechanics worked great - used Napa. Lightly blanched and cooled leaves rolled up beautifully. Kept salt/soy as is and thought it was good with the amounts given. Added garlic and cilantro, and glad I did as it would have been a touch bland without. Would increase ginger next time as well, per advice here. 1 point off only because we felt they could have been a little zestier (even after adding garlic and cilantro). Skipped the rice inside the filling and served on the side instead and the filling didn’t suffer. Very flexible recipe. Made a quick dipping sauce and a Thai cucumber salad. Solid meal and leftover rolls reheated beautifully.

judy1 week ago

I expected more flavorful filling and was disappointed in the bland result. The ground pork did not hold together well either even with egg and rice to bind. Would not make again rather return to traditional stuffed cabbage my family made.

Kath3 weeks ago

I always read through comments before cooking. I took advice and halved the salt, doubled the ginger and added minced carrots and garlic. The most challenging part was the cabbage leaves. Next time I'll try one of the suggested tricks for easier separation of the leaves. That being said, even the leaves that were torn rolled up very nicely. Grateful for my mini chopper as it made short work of everything. Four stars because flavors need punching up.

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