Spicy Pork Cabbage Rolls

By Addie

his delightfully delicious recipe came from my Aunt Helen. I serve it for the holidays with a salad and rolls. —Darlene King, Estevan, Saskatchewan

Ingredients

• SAUCE:
• 1 large head cabbage
• 2 cups cooked barley (MY NOTES: Make with rice instead)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds ground pork
• ......................................
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Cook cabbage in boiling water just until outer leaves pull away easily from head. Set aside 10 large leaves for rolls. (Refrigerate remaining cabbage for another use.) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the rice, garlic, onion, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, ginger, salt and pepper. Crumble pork over mixture and mix well.

Cut out the thick vein from the bottom of each leaf, making a V-shaped cut. Place about 1/2 cup pork mixture on a cabbage leaf; overlap cut ends of leaf. Fold in sides. Beginning from the cut end, roll up. Repeat. Place rolls, seam side down in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sauce ingredients; cook and stir until smooth. Pour over rolls. Cover and bake at 350° for 80-90 minutes or a thermometer reads 160°. Yield: 8-10 servings.
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REVIEWS:

It is missing the amount of sugar needed in the sauce or the kind. I made this from the book but no longer have it so just guessed and tasted as I went.

Too much ginger. Sauce was good I used hot salsa instead of the chili sauce. I will make my regular rolls with rice but will use the sauce recipe.

I didn't put any sugar in the sauce and thought it was delicious....just heated it through and poured over. Great change on the filling using the barley instead of the usual rice. Loved it!

Did you get an answer to your sauce question. I was planning on making them and had the same question. Thanks, Joan

This recipe looks great! For those who've tried making it already I have a question about the sauce. It says in the directions to heat the sauce until the sugar melts but I don't see any sugar in the ingredients (except for the tablespoon of dark sugar in the meat mixture). Could you tell me how much & what type of sugar you added to the sauce. Thanks!!

Terrific recipe! My husband does not like sweet tomato sauces, he loved this!

These cabbage rolls are so good! I love the barley. I use 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground pork. I spoon about 1/3 cup meat mixture onto cabbage leaf, making about 15-20 servings. I also double the sauce because I use 2 dishes. Yum!

I am soooo happy to have found this recipe online. I used to be a subscriber many years ago around 1996 and this is the best cabbage roll recipe I have ever had! I love anything sweet and spicy and I love barley. Its one recipe that I had misplaced so thanks for having it on here!!!