Spicy Asian Pork Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

Sauce
  • 11⁄2 cups water
  • 1⁄2 can (3-oz) tomato paste
  • 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 Tbs hoisin sauce
  • 3 Tbs brown sugar
  • 1 Tbs unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbs Sriracha hot sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 Tbs minced ginger
  • 2 Tbs corn starch
Cabbage & Filling
  • Oil or non-stick cooking spray
  • Salt
  • 1 lg head of green or Napa cabbage
  • 1 container (12-oz) broccoli slaw
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 bunch scallions - white and light green part only, chopped, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 Tbs minced ginger
  • 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 lg egg - beaten
  • 2 Tbs black sesame seeds

Directions

Sauce
  1. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan until the cornstarch dissolves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened.
  2. Transfer 1⁄4 cup of the sauce to a bowl large enough to accommodate the filling you will be mixing up. Set remaining sauce aside to cool.
Cabbage & Filling
  1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Oil or spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
  2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Remove 12 outer leaves from the head of cabbage, being careful not to tear or break the leaves.
  3. Place three leaves at a time in the boiling water and cook 1-2 minutes or until pliable. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to drain and cool. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
  4. Alternately, boil the entire head of cabbage and remove the leaves with a knife as they become pliable.
  5. Keep the water boiling and add the broccoli slaw. Drain immediately in a colander and cool under cold tap water. (You just want it softened slightly so it's easier to roll into the cabbage leaves.)
  6. Combine the broccoli slaw, pork, brown rice, all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and egg in the bowl with the reserved sauce and mix well.
  7. Cut the thick vein out of each leaf of cabbage in an upside-down V-shape. Place one-twelfth of the filling in the center of each cabbage leaf.
  8. Pull the bottom "flaps" up and over the filling, overlapping them slightly. Fold in the sides and roll up.
  9. Place in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls.
  10. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center of each roll registers 165 degrees. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
  11. Spoon any sauce that settled in the bottom of the baking dish back over the rolls. Garnish with reserved 2 tablespoons scallions and sesame seeds.