Our family favourite easy Chinese cabbage rolls recipe, stuffed with juicy chicken and vegetable fillings and steamed to perfection. Serve it with a flavorful, glossy sauce. It’s light, tasty, and comforting.
With simple pantry ingredients and minimal prep. It’s perfect for weeknight dinners or a special meal for friends and family.
For everyday dinners or celebrations like Chinese New Year, these cabbage rolls are perfect for your dinner table. Serve them alongside Steamed Siu Mai Dumplings, noodles, and other steamed dishes like Easy Chinese Steamed Fish together.
If you’re looking for more ideas, have a look at my Chinese New Year recipes, it’s full of dishes we love making at home.
A Family Favourite Cabbage Rolls
My mom used to make cabbage rolls for our family all the time, but no two batches were ever the same. Sometimes she used chicken, other times beef, shrimp, or tofu. She would swap in whatever vegetables we had in the fridge, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, even chopped water chestnuts for crunch. Every version tasted a little different, which meant we never got bored with it.
These Asian cabbage rolls are flexible and full of love, the kind of food that makes you feel warm and satisfied.
We love cabbage and cook it in so many different ways. My Chicken and Cabbage Stir Fry is another go-to Chinese cabbage recipe, loved by both my readers and my family.
Pick the Perfect Cabbage for Rolling
Napa cabbage is the most popular choice for making Chinese cabbage rolls. Its leaves are naturally tender, wide, and flexible, which makes them easy to roll without tearing once blanched.
But this is a very forgiving recipe. Regular green cabbage, savoy cabbage, or pointed sweetheart cabbage all work well, too. The key is choosing a cabbage with leaves that soften nicely when blanched and roll without falling apart.
Rinse them with plenty of water and trim thick veins if needed. Blanch the leaves in boiling water for about one minute until just softened, then drain well, and they’re ready for rolling.
Ingredients You’ll Need (Just the Basics!)
For the Cabbage Rolls
- Cabbage
- Chicken mince ( If you don’t have chicken, pork, shrimp, turkey, lamb, or beef mince, all work well. Mixing chicken with shrimp is great too.)
- Mushrooms
- Carrot
- Spring onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
I often add whatever vegetables I need to use up, finely chopped spinach, zucchini, or napa cabbage, all blend right in. For extra crunch, water chestnuts are lovely too!
Seasonings
- Soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Sesame oil
- Salt and white pepper
- Cornstarch
For the Sauce
- Soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Cornstarch
- Water ( or cabbage roll steamed water )
- Sesame oil
How to Make Chinese Cabbage Rolls
- Prepare the Cabbage: Start by cutting off the tough base of the cabbage and gently separating the leaves. Trim any thick veins if needed.
Blanch them in boiling water for about a minute, just until they soften. This makes them easy to roll without tearing.
- Make the Filling: In a bowl, mix together the chicken mince, finely chopped mushrooms, grated carrot, and spring onions. Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch. Mix well until everything is evenly combined.
- Roll the Cabbage: Lay one cabbage leaf flat and place about 2-3 tablespoons of filling near the base. Fold the sides inward, then roll it up snugly like a burrito. ( If you want to make them extra pretty, tie each roll with a blanched spring onion strip. )
- Steam the Rolls: Place the cabbage rolls seam-side down on a heat-proof plate. Steam over boiling water on high heat for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. ( The exact time will depend on how large your rolls are. You can discard the steamed water, or keep it from the plate and use it in the sauce instead of water. )
- Make the Sauce: While the rolls are steaming, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and water in a small saucepan. Stir well until the cornstarch dissolves. Heat the pan gently and simmer until starting to thicken and becomes glossy. Remove from heat and stir in a little sesame oil for aroma.
- Garnish and Serve: Transfer the steamed cabbage rolls to a serving plate, spoon the sauce over the top, and finish with chopped spring onions. Serve hot and enjoy.
Note: Steaming time depends on the size of your cabbage rolls. Smaller or thinner rolls are usually ready in 12-15 minutes, while larger rolls may need 18-20 minutes.
Yes! You Can Pan-Fry or Bake
To pan fry, place the cabbage rolls seam-side down in a flat pan. Add a small splash of water, cover with a lid, and let them steam gently, similar to how potsticker dumplings are cooked, but without browning the bottom.
For baking, arrange the cabbage rolls in a lined baking tray, add a few tablespoons of water, and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes, or until the filling is fully cooked and the cabbage is tender. Keeping them covered helps the rolls stay moist and soft.
How We Make Ahead
These cabbage rolls are great for meal prep. You can assemble them a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge until you're ready to steam them. They also freeze well, freeze the uncooked rolls, then steam the frozen cabbage rolls straight from frozen with a few extra minutes added.
Khin’s Top Tips
- I like to use the bigger outer cabbage leaves because they’re much easier to roll.
- Chop the vegetables fairly small so everything cooks evenly inside. Also, don’t overfill the rolls, it’s tempting, but a little filling goes a long way.
- And if you notice some tasty steamed juices left on the steaming plate, use that in your sauce instead of water for extra flavour.
- Don’t overcook the rolls, or the cabbage gets mushy and the filling dry.
Most Asked Questions, Answered!
Can I use other ground meat or protein?
Absolutely. Pork, beef, turkey, shrimp, or even tofu all work well in this recipe.
Can I air fry Chinese cabbage rolls?
Yes, place the cabbage rolls in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Air-fry at 180°C (350°F) for 15-18 minutes, or until the filling is fully cooked.
How do I check if the filling is fully cooked?
You’ll know they’re done when the filling is fully cooked, juicy, and no longer pink in the centre, and the cabbage is tender but still holding its shape. If you’re not sure, simply cut one roll open to check. ( That’s what I always do. ) Or use a food thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 75°C (165°F) for chicken.
What to Serve With Cabbage Rolls?
These chicken cabbage rolls pair beautifully with a bowl of steamed jasmine or white rice to soak up all that sauce. For a more complete meal, add a light soup like tomato egg drop soup or a simple vegetable side, such as Green bean stir fry or easy vegetable mei fun.
More Tasty Rolls Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Chinese Cabbage Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Steamer with rack or Large pot with rack for steaming
Ingredients
- 10-12 Cabbage leaves Napa cabbage or a choice of green or savoury sabbage
- 200 grams Chicken mince About 7oz, Chicken or a choice of ground turkey or meat
- 3-4 Mushrooms Regular button or shiitake
- 1 Carrot Grated or finely chopped
- 3-4 Spring onions Finely chopped, ( plus extra for garnish )
Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce Or all-purpose soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp White pepper or black pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Grated garlic or paste
- 1 tsp Ginger Grated or paste
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
Sauce
- 1½ tbsp Light soy sauce Or all-purpose soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- ½ cup Water
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Instructions
Prepare the Cabbage
- Start by cutting off the tough base of the cabbage and gently separating the leaves. Trim any thick veins if needed.
- Blanch them in boiling water for about a minute, just until they soften. This makes them easy to roll without tearing.
Make the Filling
- In a bowl, mix together the chicken mince, finely chopped mushrooms, grated carrot, and spring onions. Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch. Mix well until everything is evenly combined.
Roll the Cabbage
- Lay one cabbage leaf flat and place about 2-3 tablespoons of filling near the base. Fold the sides inward, then roll it up tight like a burrito. ( If you want to make them extra pretty, tie each roll with a blanched spring onion strip. )
Steam the Rolls
- Place the cabbage rolls seam-side down on a heat-proof plate. Steam over boiling water on high heat for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. ( The exact time will depend on how large your rolls are. ) ( You can discard the steamed water or keep the steamed water from the plate and use it in the sauce instead of water. )
Make the Sauce
- While the rolls are steaming, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and water in a small saucepan. Stir well until the cornstarch dissolves. Heat the pan gently and simmer until starting to thicken and becomes glossy. Remove from heat and stir in a little sesame oil for aroma.
Garnish and Serve
- Transfer the steamed cabbage rolls to a serving plate, spoon the sauce over the top, and finish with chopped spring onions. Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the rolls, or the cabbage gets mushy and the filling dry.
- If you don’t have chicken, pork, shrimp, turkey, lamb, or beef mince, all work well. Mixing chicken with shrimp is great, too.
- To check if the fillings are fully cooked, cut one roll. If it is juicy, no longer pink in the centre, and the cabbage is tender but still holding its shape, the fillings are fully cooked. If you’re not sure, simply cut one roll open to check. ( That’s what I always do. ) Or use a food thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 75°C (165°F) for chicken.
- This recipe serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main meal.
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