Zaub Pob Qhwv (Hmong Cabbage Rolls)

Hiya! Glad you could slide by today. Got a tasty variety of spring rolls for you to try making today. These come from the Hmong people who live in Southeast Asia - Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. While you sip your coffee and munch away at a virtual treat, read how to prepare this tasty dish...(FYI: Hmong...don't pronounce the H...just say Mong)

There are many different Hmong tribes. Many of these are distinguished by the colour and details of their clothing. 

Black Hmong wear deep indigo dyed hemp clothing that includes a jacket with embroidered sleeves, sash, apron and leg wraps. 

The Flower Hmong are known for very brightly colored embroidered traditional costume with beaded fringe.

Hmong Cabbage Rolls are a signature Hmong Dish. They're referred to frequently in Hmong referenced recipe sites and the use of the cabbage makes a lot of sense as the cabbage is just grown so extensively by the Hmong everywhere in Southeast Asia.

In Thailand some thirty to forty years ago the Thai government actively replaced opium crops with vegetable crops and endeavoured to create markets for these growers. The Hmong in Thailand were some of the "hilltribe" peoples this was aimed for. Cabbage was one of the first crops tried. 

It didn't work at first as there was no road infrastructure servicing many of the places and mountain villages that were growing this crop and it looked like a failure. Infrastructure was developed and morning picked cabbages could be in city markets within a few hours of picking. It was one of the hallmark crops of opium eradication in Thailand.

Ingredients:

    1 large cabbage
    500 gm (~1/2 lb) ground pork
    1 tsp ground black pepper
    1/2 tsp salt
    100 grams of Cellophane noodles (Vermicelli)
    2 large eggs
    3 Tbsp of oyster sauce
    1 green onion, minced
    5-7 cilantro strands, minced
    Optional: 1/2 Tbsp/1 cube of Knorr Chicken flavour powder or equivalent.

Method:

Boil water on medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the noodles. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes over medium-high heat then drain noodles and set in a mixing bowl. Cut the noodles several times to get hand length noodle strands

Add the rest of ingredients in and mix in the bowl.

Prepare another pot to boil water on medium-high heat to use to soften cabbage leaves. While waiting, rinse the cabbage, then cut just a bit higher above the stem of the cabbage. This way, you can easily peel every cabbage leaf at a time starting from this origin of the stem. 

While the water is boiling, set the cabbage leaves in boiling water for 5 minutes then transfer to a platter.

Start your steamer. During this time you can roll the cabbage leaves. Add 1-3 spoonful of filling, based on the size of the leaves. You will roll the same way you roll an eggroll. 

Use half a toothpick to pin down the leaf to keep it from unravelling. Place them on top of each other and steam for ~10-15 minutes.

Authentic Hmong Dipping Sauce:

  

Kua Txob - Pepper Dip

A condiment to most Hmong dishes.

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a spoon of salt
• 1/2 of a spoon of sugar
• 1/2 of a lime
• 5 red chili peppers (be brave...)
• 1 blade of lemon grass
• Approx. 10 spoons of fish sauce (adjust for your taste)

Instructions 

1.) Mince the lemon grass. 

2.) Slice the peppers in half. 

3.) Combine salt, sugar, chili peppers, lemon grass in a mortar and ground it up nicely. 

4.) Squeeze in the lime. 

5.) Add fish sauce.

Try them...you may like them. They combine the comfort of European cabbage rolls with the Asian preference for steaming instead of baking (because the Hmong people had/have no ovens) and the zap of a spicy dip to enhance your flavour buds!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Ingredients:

• 1 large cabbage
• 500 gm (~1/2 lb) ground pork
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 100 grams of Cellophane noodles (Vermicelli)
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 green onion, minced
• 5-7 cilantro strands, minced
• Optional: 1/2 Tbsp of Knorr Chicken flavour powder or equivalent.

Method:

1. Boil water on medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the noodles. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes over medium-high heat then drain noodles and set in a mixing bowl. Cut the noodles several times to get hand length noodle strands
2. Add the rest of ingredients in and mix in the bowl.
3. Prepare another pot to boil water on medium-high heat to use to soften cabbage leaves. While waiting, rinse the cabbage, then cut just a bit higher above the stem of the cabbage. This way, you can easily peel every cabbage leaf at a time starting from this origin of the stem. When the water is boiling, set the cabbage leaves in boiling water for 5 minutes then transfer to a platter.
4. Start your steamer. During this time you can roll the cabbage leaves. Add 1-3 spoonful of filling, based on the size of the leaves. You will roll the same way you roll an eggroll. Use half a toothpick to pin down the leaf to keep it from unravelling. Place them on top of each other and steam for ~10-15 minutes.

Dipping Sauce:

• Chillies
• 6 Tbsp of fish sauce
• 6 Tbsp of Water
• 1/4 tsp. Salt

Method:

1. In a mortar, pound chillies first, then add the rest and mix and serve.

- See more at: http://ediblyasian.info/recipes/zaub-pob-qhwv-hmong-cabbage-rolls-#sthash.3oVWiFP0.dpuf

Hmong Cabbage Rolls are a signature Hmong Dish. They're referred to frequently in Hmong referenced recipe sites and the use of the cabbage makes a lot of sense as the cabbage is just grown so extensively by the Hmong in Laos and Vietnam.
In Thailand some thirty to forty years ago Thailand actively replaced opium crops with vegetable crops and endeavoured to create markets for these growers. The Hmong in Thailand were some of the "hilltribe" peoples this was aimed for. Cabbage was one of the first crops tried. It didn't work at first as there was no road infrastructure servicing many of the places and mountain villages that were growing this crop and it looked like a failure. Infrastructure was developed and morning picked cabbages could be in city markets within a few hours of picking. It was one of the hallmark crops of opium eradication in Thailand. - See more at: http://ediblyasian.info/recipes/zaub-pob-qhwv-hmong-cabbage-rolls-#sthash.3oVWiFP0.dpuf

Hmong Cabbage Rolls are a signature Hmong Dish. They're referred to frequently in Hmong referenced recipe sites and the use of the cabbage makes a lot of sense as the cabbage is just grown so extensively by the Hmong in Laos and Vietnam.
In Thailand some thirty to forty years ago Thailand actively replaced opium crops with vegetable crops and endeavoured to create markets for these growers. The Hmong in Thailand were some of the "hilltribe" peoples this was aimed for. Cabbage was one of the first crops tried. It didn't work at first as there was no road infrastructure servicing many of the places and mountain villages that were growing this crop and it looked like a failure. Infrastructure was developed and morning picked cabbages could be in city markets within a few hours of picking. It was one of the hallmark crops of opium eradication in Thailand. - See more at: http://ediblyasian.info/recipes/zaub-pob-qhwv-hmong-cabbage-rolls-#sthash.3oVWiFP0.dpuf

Hmong Cabbage Rolls are a signature Hmong Dish. They're referred to frequently in Hmong referenced recipe sites and the use of the cabbage makes a lot of sense as the cabbage is just grown so extensively by the Hmong in Laos and Vietnam.
In Thailand some thirty to forty years ago Thailand actively replaced opium crops with vegetable crops and endeavoured to create markets for these growers. The Hmong in Thailand were some of the "hilltribe" peoples this was aimed for. Cabbage was one of the first crops tried. It didn't work at first as there was no road infrastructure servicing many of the places and mountain villages that were growing this crop and it looked like a failure. Infrastructure was developed and morning picked cabbages could be in city markets within a few hours of picking. It was one of the hallmark crops of opium eradication in Thailand. - See more at: http://ediblyasian.info/recipes/zaub-pob-qhwv-hmong-cabbage-rolls-#sthash.3oVWiFP0.dpuf