A recipe instructs to boil a whole head of cabbage, can I boil individual leaves instead?
In Madhur Jaffrey's An Invitation to Indian Cooking, her recipe for Cabbage leaves stuffed with potatoes instructs you to boil the cabbage leaves by submerging the entire head of cabbage in a large pot of boiling water.
This sounds like an accident waiting to happen to me, and I was wondering if this method affects the flavor, or will it be just the same to remove the leaves and boil individually.
Best Answer
The goal of the boiling step is to make it easy to remove the leaves. Removing whole individual cabbage leaves on a raw head of cabbage is tricky; they tend to tear.
If you want to put forth the effort, it should be just fine. They're cooked just long enough to soften them and make it possible to wrap them around the filling. I will happen much faster without a whole head of cabbage in there.
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Can you boil a whole head of cabbage?
The most common way to separate the leaves is to place the whole head of cabbage, hollowed out core side down, in boiling water, then reduce heat to a medium simmer for about 8 minutes. Try not to use too big a head of cabbage.How do you separate cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls?
First, using a paring knife, core a large head of cabbage; then carefully place the whole head of cabbage into a half-filled pot of simmering water. Cover. After about a minute, the leaves will begin to peel away. As they do, gently pull them off with tongs.How much water do you use to boil a head of cabbage?
Bring water to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. The water should be about 3/4 of an inch (1.9 cm) deep or enough to place your cabbage in without overflowing. Don't worry about having the exact volume of water as you'll be draining any excess water out.How long does it take to cook cabbage in boiling water?
Boil the cabbage for 12 to 15 minutes, until it is very tender (ours is generally done around 12 minutes). Drain the cabbage into a strainer. Place the cabbage in a large bowl with the butter, fresh ground pepper, and kosher salt (around \xbe teaspoon for a large head of cabbage).Boiled Cabbage Recipe | How to Boil Cabbage on the Stove
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