Light Bites Recipes - Cabbage and Noodle Parcels Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft

• 50g/2oz cellophane noodles, soaked in hot water until soft

• 450g/1lb minced (ground) pork

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 8 spring onions (scallions)

• 30ml/2 tbsp fish sauce

• 12 large outer green cabbage leaves

For the sauce:

• 15ml/1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 400g/14oz can chopped plum tomatoes

• pinch of sugar

• salt and ground black pepper

Serves 6

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Method:

1. Drain the mushrooms, discard the stems and chop the caps. Put them in a bowl. Next, drain the noodles and cut them into short lengths.

2. Add to the bowl with the pork and garlic. Chop two of the spring onions and add to the bowl. Season with the fish sauce and pepper.

3. Blanch the cabbage leaves a few at a time in a pan of boiling, lightly salted water for about 1 minute. Remove the leaves from the pan with a spoon and refresh under cold water.

4. Drain the leaves and dry them well on kitchen paper. Blanch the remaining six spring onions in the same fashion. Drain well.

5. Fill one of the cabbage leaves with a generous spoonful of the pork and noodle filling. Roll up the leaf to enclose the filling, then tuck in the sides and continue rolling to make a tight parcel. Make more parcels in the same way.

6. Split each spring onion lengthways and use to tie the cabbage parcels together.

7. To make the sauce, fry the onion and garlic in the oil in a large pan until soft. Add the tomatoes, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar, then bring to simmering point Add the cabbage parcels. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Serve.