Vietnamese Pork in Cabbage Soup

Canh Cai Bap Nhoi Thit

Until you have found your favorite chicken broth, I would recommend holding off on this recipe.  It is highly dependent on your choice of broth.  Whenever I have to buy broth for my recipes, I usually pick Pacific Organic Free Range Chicken broth.  I just like the taste of it.

Nothing says comfort food quite like chicken soup, right?  On a night like tonight, it hit the spot for me.  I weighed myself this morning to find that I have gained 5 lbs over Thanksgiving.  phew!  I'm trying to stay low calorie until I shed those five pounds.

This recipe is very easy to make and once you get the hang of rolling, it gets even easier.  Make sure you have long enough green onions to tie it up to make the job more manageable

Recipe: Canh Cai Bap Nhoi Thit

5 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp sugar
10 large cabbage leaves
6 green onions
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Preparing the cabbage leaves
Remove the thick rib in the middle separating each cabbage leaf into two.  The size is important.  Make sure that you have pieces big enough to roll the ground pork into.  If you don't have large cabbage leaves, 20 small ones will also do,  make sure to remove the thick rib to make it easier to roll.

Instructions

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring chicken broth, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp water, 1/2 tsp sugar to a rolling boil over maintaining a gentle boil.
2. Submerge cabbage leaves into hot soup 2 at a time until they are wilted and pliable but not cooked, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a platter when done.  Plunge the green onioin tops down into the soup for about 5 seconds.   Transfer to a platter.  Remove the soup from the heat and set aside.  Rinse the cabbage leaves and green onion tops in cool water, drain and dry.  Set aside
3. Cut the white part of green onions into small slices.  Combine pork, 1/2 tbsp fish sauce, 1/2 tbsp water, sesame oil, sugar, and 1/4 tsp pepper and the white part of the green onions.
4. Take one of the cabbage leaves and put a heaping tbsp of the pork mixture towards the end.  Roll it like an eggroll.  Tie it up to hold it in place using a green onion.  I usually tear the green onion in half lenghtwise.
5. When all the cabbage rolls are made, return the soup to a rolling boil and carefully lover each cabbage roll into the soup using tongs.  Slowly!  Keep them intact.
6. Cook about 8-10 minutes until the ground pork is doene.
7. Serve into a bowl and top with cilantro.